Obituary: Lawrence (“Larry”) Johnson Franklin, Jr.

July 19, 1939 ~ July 26, 2023

Larry Franklin, 84, died peacefully on July 26, 2023.

A summer resident of Door County with his wife Cissie for almost 30 years, Larry was born July 19, 1939 in Shreveport, La., to Margaret Ijams Franklin and L.J. Franklin. He was a handful in his youth, a state champion trap and skeet shooter in his teens, and married Cissie Fry on February 15, 1962 when he was 21 and she was 19.

His midlife crisis included half marathons and triathlons, but he was happiest when he was hunting game birds. Doves, ducks, geese, grouse, quail, pheasants, snipe, turkeys and woodcock. And in his last years, he also fed a flock of wild turkeys each day from the front porch of their home in Horseshoe Bay.

He was a member of the Peninsula Gun Club and enjoyed frequent visits to Bayside Tavern, Birmingham’s Bar, the Door County Maritime Museum and The Peninsula Bookman.

Larry was a voracious reader, hiker, history buff and collector of everything from arrowheads and fossils to duck calls, rare books and side-by-side shotguns. He also had a penchant for light beer and good brandy.

He will be greatly missed by his wife Cissie, sons Douglas (Gigi) and Howard (Sue), granddaughters Maggie Franklin Joyce (Matthew) and Grace Franklin, and great-grandson Patrick Joyce. He also leaves his sister Anne “Roonie” Beach, and joins his daughter Lisa and grandson Hart.

A graveside service and burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport, La.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to The Ridges Sanctuary (P.O. Box 152, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202, ridgessanctuary.org) or the Door County Land Trust (P.O. Box 65, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, doorcountylandtrust.org).