Francis, Donald H.
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Francis, Donald H.
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Donald H. Francis (Lois)
I was born
in Oxford to
Hazen and
Luella Francis
and the last of
five children.
The next oldest
child is twenty
minutes older than I. I had a womb mate for nine
months and we ended up identical twins. There
were three older sisters and then the folks hit the
jackpot.
My father died in 1935 at the age of 33 when
my brother and I were four so we don 't remember
him. It was my mother that raised the five of us
and it was always the practice that we were in
Sunday School and church every Sunday. We were
born, baptized, raised and married in the Methodist
Church. My brother and I had five years perfect
attendance in the Sunday School at the Methodist
Church in Oxford.
I married Lois Bartlett on the thirteenth of
September 1958 in the Oxford Methodist Church
with Rev. Fred Clark officiating. We have three
wonderful children, Michael, Dawn and James and
they in turn have given us seven beautiful
grandchildren.
In 1966 Lois and I found what it was like to
know our Lord as not only our Savior but our
baptizer in the Holy Spirit after a Lenten service
that year. It was soon after that I felt the Lord
tugging my spirit to enter the ministry. Rev. Tex
Rickard was the D.S. of the Port Huron District at
the time. I was told there were no openings in the
Methodist Church so he told me to start the Home
Study Course. which I did.
In 1981 an opening came in my home church
of Thomas and since I had a License to Preach
back in 1966, I was asked to take the pulpit.
Thomas was one with Howarth and we were split
and Thomas was left by themselves. I served the
Thomas Church for eight years during which time
I attended the course of Study School at GatTett. I
went fu ll time in 1988 and was appointed to the
Jeddo/Central Lakeort Charge. My next and last
appointment was the Fowlerville United Methodist
Church.
Lois and I have a home in Oxford and we will
be moving back there to be closer to our children
and grandchildren. I hope to do some
woodworking, travel. fi shing and maybe spend
some time with my brother in Jacksonville,
Florida. I have my pilots license so I want to
continue to do more of that also. Lois and I wi ll
miss the people we have served these last eighteen
years. I'm sure there will be opportunities to do
volunteering and filling a pulpit here and there in
my retirement.
Hazen Francis went home to IJe
with The Lord, surrounded by his family,
on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at the age
of 80. He and his wife Lois (Bartlett) were
married for 53 happy years. Don is
survived by his children Mike (Debbie),
Dawn Corbitt (Chris who died in 1996),
and Jim (Kim), his grandchildren Melissa
(Joshua) Bush, Alexis Corbitt, Aleah
Francis, Sean Corbitt, Jimmy Francis,
Elizabeth Francis, Mikayla Francis, and 6
week old great granddaughter Adalyn
Renee Bush. He is also survived by his
siblings Betty Wade, Marilyn Frenk,
Shirley Acheson and his twin Ronald
(Barbara) Francis. Donald has 17 nieces
and nephews and numerous great and
great-great nieces and nephews. Donald
was born in Oxford, the second of twins,
in the family farmhouse on Davison Lake
Road to Hazen and Luella (Smith) Francis.
He graduated from Oxford High School,
class of 1949. He and Ron took flying
lessons together, owned his own Aeronca
Champ airplane, and he never lost his
passion for flying and airplanes. In 1951,
Don and Ron joined the navy and served
in the Korean war for four years,
stationed in Jacksonville, Florida and on
the aircraft carrier, USS Randolph . His
early work years included painting for his
father-i n-law, Robert Bartlett, at Bartlett
Paint and Glass, and American
Aggregates, which was the site for the
first gravel pit in Oxford, started by Dan's
grandfather, W.O. Smith. When Don was
later laid off from National Twist Drill, he
painted and wallpapered for many years
for his own company, Don Francis
Painting. He attended OCC and received
an associate degree from St. Clair County
Community College, then attended
seminary at the Garrett United
Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.
He was ordained as Deacon of the United
Methodist Church and was a Pastor in the
UMC for 20 years, serving at Thomas,
Jeddo, Central Lakeport and Fowlerville
churches. He retired from the ministry in
200 o and resided in their home in Oxford
since. He and Lois have attended
Rochester First Assembly of God church
'th their children since their retirement.
~~n was former Chaplain for the Civil Air
Patrol in St. Clair County an.d wa~
tary lnternatronal rn Follmem bero f Ro
owerville and Oxford, and honored as a
Paul Harris Fellow.
Francis, Donald H.