John H. Francis

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our dear John, who had endless passions, a sarcastic sense of humor, an enthusiasm for all things cars, as well as a voracious appetite for learning - which led him to travel the world. He was much loved and deeply devoted to his family.

John Henry Francis, 82, was born October 28, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York to Katherine Fallon and Raymond Francis. He attended Catholic schools through grade eight and was a graduate of the elite Erasmus Hall High School. His journey of learning continued, leading to graduation from Brooklyn College with a BA in English, Adelphi University with a MA in Educational Administration Supervision, and finally with the needs of others at heart, he studied Labor Relations at the New School, Graduate School of Management and Urban Professions, earning his second MA in Labor Relations.

After graduating from Brooklyn College, John worked for NBC, writing news content for journalist and anchor David Brinkley. His teaching career with the New York City Board of Education soon followed. He passionately taught English and English Literature to high school students at South Shore High School and Townsend Harris High School. At Townsend Harris High School he was their Debate Team coach. Under his leadership, the debate team won the State Championship. John also worked at the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) coordinating their many professional committees.

John was preceded in death by his parents Raymond and Katherine Francis and grandson Jacob Thompson.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Francis, daughters, Kimberly Teague (Larry) and Shelley Thompson, grandchildren Kate Thompson, Alexis Calvin (LaDarrius) Laurel Thompson and Matthew Thompson; and little Abel Calvin, his first great grandchild; his brothers Brian Francis (Jodi), and Barry Francis (Barbara), niece Loren Czech (Eric), nephews Brian Francis (Heidi) and Colin Francis (Maria); and several great nephews and nieces.

Friends are invited to join his family at a celebration of life Open House on Saturday, May 30th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Flanner Buchanan - Geist, 7855 Cork Road, Indianapolis.

Journal:

In 1988 John met Margaret Johnson and his life changed dramatically. A year later he became a husband and a dad to young daughters, (not quite prepared for that). A few years later after he retired they moved from Brooklyn to Indianapolis - Margaret’s hometown. He made the change eagerly and easily. He didn’t miss a beat.

He quickly discovered a group dedicated to growing orchids (one of his passions). Eventually he became president of this group.

John found three good buddies, Larry, his son-in-law, Thomas and Jay. They would drive for hours to car and truck shows and to eat pizza. They went on road trips including trips to Disney World and another to Collinsville, IL to see the world’s largest ketchup bottle.

Never having been a big sports fan, he actually became an enthusiastic follower of football and basketball. Go Colts! Go Pacers, Fever and IU! He even learned the rules and regulations.

Music flowed from his study - classical, western, show tunes and movie themes, as he spent hours writing short stories. One story was in fact purchased by Star Trek.

Even though John was thrifty, mostly buying what was on sale at the grocery store, he spared no expense in investing in several paintings from the Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art and several galleries in Arizona.

John was thrilled to become a granddad! They all have many loving, funny and serious memories of him.

Alexis said, “He inspired his grandchildren to explore the world.” She recalls warmly to “getting picked up by my super tall Granddad from elementary school and going on a cozy ride in his red pick-up truck listening to country music.”

LaDarrius (Alexis’ husband) shares this memory: “ He and I took a trip to Louisville, Kentucky in 2017/2018. We left one Saturday morning to travel to Louisville to see the tractor fair. I had no idea why he was interested in this fair, but it ended up being an interesting trip. We saw huge tractors that looked like transformers. We also saw machines that applied pesticides to crops. It was a cool trip. I was shocked he invited me since Alexis and I were not married yet.”

And then there is Abel, his first great grandchild…

Abel - The first great-grandchild, now 11 months old, gave Great Granddad many smiles and much babbling! John liked to wiggle his finger at Abel who always smiled and babbled

Kate’s fondest memory is of Granddad taking her and one of her brothers, Jake, to used book stores and afterwards getting shakes. Kate related, “He introduced me to Toy Story, Star Trek, milkshakes and browsing book stores. I’ll miss him.”

Laurel noted, “ Granddad introduced me to Star Trek when I was little. I remember going up to your guy’s bedroom and he would have it on so we would watch it together. That never changed as I got older. Sometimes the show would change though. But that’s what he always enjoyed doing with me, watching his favorite shows together.”

Matthew also talked about sharing passions. “He explained, “All the car shows we’d go to were really big in the development of my love for cars. It was always a lot of fun.”

Unfortunately John had a stroke in 2021 which left his body strong but affected his speech. There was a blessing even there; he joined the Butler (University) Aphasia Community. He always looked forward to those weekly Thursday evenings. With the expertise of Speech Pathology students and friendships with others experiencing aphasia, they painted, played bingo and trivia games. They creatively decorated cookies and earnestly discussed topics ranging from what aphasia is, to their favorite vacation. Even with aphasia John had no qualms about talking to strangers and he was mostly understood.

John LOVED going on long drives, while giving directions, through the countryside enjoying the open fields, the corn and soybeans and the unexpected. Sometimes he would stop at Tuttles Farm store for jams and jellies.

At home, most mornings after breakfast he sat in the sunroom and read People magazine, Texas Monthly, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and more. In the evening he often relaxed in his recliner to read novels or to enjoy old westerns, Death in Paradise and other movies and shows from his vast collection of DVDs. The last television show he watched was FBI, one of his favorites.

Finally, he was always happy to see family - calling Larry or Larry calling to discuss their next adventure or where, besides McDonald’s, they could eat. He enjoyed the familiar routine of Larry coming into the house through the garage, calling, “It’s Larry.” When Shelley and Kimberly were over, we heard him say, “Are you still here?…” This was tempered with, “Are we going over to Kimberly and Larry’s?” and “Is Shelley coming over tomorrow?”

So many good memories …

Shelley - “I loved going to library book sales with Dad and talking about the plot and characters of the books we found. I also really enjoyed hiking through the woods both in New York and here at one of our state parks He lit up during those long walks. He was excited about teaching the little ones how to understand the trails and plant life we saw along them.”

Kimberly - “Dad never stopped making my childhood dreams come true, sharing his love for all things Disney and creating memories I will treasure forever. From Disney World and Animal Kingdom to Aulani Hawaii and Disney Cruises filled with shows, characters, and adventures at sea, every trip was filled with laughter, joy, and love. Even though he is gone, every bit of Disney magic will always remind me of him and the beautiful memories we shared.”

Larry, Kimberly’s husband - One of the most memorable trips with Dad was a journey I took with him and his friend Jay to Disney’s Old Key West Resort. While we were there, the three of us visited an alligator park and took an airboat ride across the lake, where we were able to see alligators in their natural habitat. The excitement and beauty of that experience have stayed with me ever since.

On the way home, Dad took us to Cumberland Gap, a place I had never heard of before. I was amazed by the sheer scale of it, and it reminded me so much of the Grand Canyon that I began calling it the “Grand Canyon of the East.” It was a special trip filled with adventure, discovery, and time spent together, and it remains one of the memories I think about most often.”

Margaret, beloved wife - “Just being with him! We had so many great times together. His last meal out was with Shelley, Kimberly and me; we went to BJ’s where he always enjoyed the food, ambience and especially the beer. He said, “Let’s celebrate the decisions we made!”