Obituary of Arthur Junius Franklin

Arthur Junius Franklin, 89, died peacefully on January 19, 2018 at his home in Fairmont.

He was born on March 7, 1928 in Huntington Park, California, the son of the late Rev. Ernest W. Franklin and Willa Ruth Brewster Franklin.  Arthur grew up in Escondido, California and graduated from Los Angeles Pacific College (now Azusa Pacific College) in 1949.  He worked initially at National Lead Company as a paint-chemist.  On March 31, 1950 he married Mary Nordback in San Francisco.  Arthur served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952 – 1954 and was stationed in North Carolina.  While working full-time at Litton Industries and raising a family, he continued his education and graduated from Healds School of Engineering in San Francisco in 1963.  Arthur worked as an electrical engineer and the family lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Logansport, Indiana and Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Arthur retired from Eaton Corporation in 1993. 

Arthur and Mary were life-long members of the Church of the Nazarene and actively involved in church work in each city in which they lived.  Arthur and Mary moved to Fairmont in 2008 and are members of Fairmont First Church of the Nazarene.  In their 67 years of marriage, they enjoyed many other pursuits, such as traveling.  They visited all 50 states and a number of foreign countries.  In their family circle they were especially fond of playing games and working puzzles. 

Arthur was preceded in death by his three brothers, David Ernest, James Allen and Gerald Paul, and by his granddaughter, Elisabeth Linda Rahkonen.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, of Fairmont; daughter, Sharon, and her husband, Carl Rahkonen, of Indiana, Pennsylvania; daughter, Linda, and her husband, Gary Maffioli, of Fairmont; son, Steven, and his wife, Mary, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; grandson, Jason Maffioli, and his wife, Darcie, of Oakland, California; and granddaughters, Johanna and Sara Rahkonen, of Indiana, Pennsylvania.

The funeral arrangements will be handled by Ford Funeral Home.  The funeral service will be at First Church of the Nazarene, 1604 Morgantown Avenue, on January 24 at 1:00 pm with Pastor Larry Barkley and Pastor Scott King officiating.  Visitation for family and friends will be prior to the service from 12:00 – 1:00 pm at the church.  A private burial will be held at Greenwood Cemetery in Indiana, PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (4401 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224 – 412-692-5325) or Make a Wish Foundation (707 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219 – 412-904-6200). Online condolences may be made to the family at www.fordfuneralhomes.com.