Funeral for H.C. Franklin to be Held Thursday

H.C. Franklin spent most of his life working to make his country, his family and Oxford safer.

Hulett Carless “H.C.” Franklin Jr. died Monday at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi at 98 years old.

His funeral will be held at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Waller Funeral Home with the Rev. John Kramer officiating. Burial will follow in the Oxford Memorial Cemetry. Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the West Hall of Waller Funeral Home, which is overseeing the arrangements.

Franklin was a WWII veteran, serving as a Seaman 1st Class in the Navy for three years as a landing craft operator in the South Pacific.

Back home, with 10 acres and 2 mules, Franklin farmed cotton.

His labor didn’t end there, as he also spent time working as a school bus driver and county road worker. He retired as Assistant Chief after 27 years of service at the Oxford Police Department. When he wasn’t on duty, he worked as a security officer for First National Bank.

As a proud member of the Oxford-Lafayette community, he held a seat on the Oxford Board of Alderman and was co-owner of Franklin’s Country Store.

In 2007, he was named the Citizen of the Year by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce.

With a passion for helping other veterans, he was a member of the American Legion and State Commissioner of the DAV. He was a faithful member of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church and The Beacon Coffee Club. As recently as last Friday, he sat with coffee in hand, enjoying morning conversations with his friends.

Memorial contributions or expressions of sympathy in Franklin’s memory may be made to St. Andrews United Methodist Church of Oxford for Inter-Faith Compassion Ministries, P.O. Box 6, Oxford, MS 38655, or to The Pantry of Oxford, P.O. Box 588, Oxford, MS 38655.

Visit Waller Funeral Home’s website to read the complete obituary.