William (Bill) Raith Franz, Jr. was born December 26, 1929 and passed away on September 15, 2020.

Bill was preceded in death by his loving wife Carol Marvill, and his parents William R. Franz, Sr., Mildred Cleland Franz and Marjorie Rose Franz. He leaves behind his daughter Kimberly Fairman, her husband Gene, grandchildren Laura Harris, Shawn, his wife Lauren, Ryan and Dylan; son William C., Sr., his wife Gloria, grandchildren William C., Jr., his wife Courtney, Alyssa Foley, her husband Kyle, great grandsons Everett and Evan Franz; daughter Diane Franz, son Raith, his wife Gini, brother Philip Franz, sister Elsie Gimbel, brother George Franz, and his wife Kammy, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

In the words of Bill, he lived a blessed life which he attributed to his guardian angel, his mother Mildred, who passed away when he was six years old. His father remarried years later and he was blessed again with a bonus mom, Marjorie. At the age of 19, Bill was drafted into the United States Army and was stationed in Korea where he proudly served his country and rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class in a relatively short time. After returning home, he went to work for Girard Trust in Philadelphia. Even though he was in his thirtieth year, Bill always said his life didn't begin until he met Carol Marvill in December of 1959. Their first date was at the Liberty Bowl game and that should have been Carol's first hint that sports were a big part of Bill's life. By April 1960, they were engaged and married the following year. They first made their home in Warminster, Pa. where they raised their four children until 1973 when Gulf Oil transferred him to Houston, Tx. Even though his life was in Houston, he remained a Phillies fan, at least most of the time. In 1986, he retired early from Gulf Oil and went on to work for Gulf Oil Trading Corporation. In 1998, Carol became seriously ill and by 1999, Bill took his final retirement with the Nabisco Credit Union so he could tend to her needs. For his children and grandchildren, he modeled love, dedication, respect and commitment as he spent the next six years devoting himself to making her comfortable. After her passing in 2005, Bill filled his time with his faithful companion Mitzi, or as we liked to call her, his fifth child. He also spent his time tinkering around the house, watching ball games, attending events for his grandchildren and his 55+ plus church group, worshipping at Windwood Church and traveling. Bill had many accomplishments to take pride in, but what brought him the most pride and joy was his wife and his family. He will be deeply missed not only as a father and grandfather, but also as a role model and pillar of our family. As he lived his life blessed, we are now blessed with our own guardian angel and he will live in our hearts forever.

Visitation and Service will be held at the Klein Funeral Home Champions. Visitation will take place on Thursday, September 24th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the funeral service on Friday, September 25th at 10 a.m.  All attendees will be required to wear a face coving inside the building. Bill will be laid to rest at the Houston National Cemetery at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to Glading Presbyterian Church, 1267 E. Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124 in memory of William R. Franz, Jr.

Bill's service can be viewed live here: https://youtu.be/PkTcZjaxYvI