James Steven Franklin

James Steven Franklin went home to his beloved wife, Lisa, Monday April 10th. This came after a long struggle with his health following a stroke in September and the passing of his wife, Lisa, in December. James was born on July 5th, 1952 in Tennessee and while he started out in Tennessee he moved to Southwest Michigan with his family and graduated from Benton Harbor School District. James worked hard as a firefighter with the City of Benton Harbor for 25 years before retiring at the age of 45. During his retirement years James spent most of his time with his wife, Lisa, and their grandchildren, Bruce, Jonathan, and Logan. James and Lisa had only one son, Eric Franklin, and two more grandchildren, Eddie and Veronica.
In September 2022 James suffered a stroke and to the amazement of the doctors he began to show signs of recovery. Not long after he was moved into a rehabilitation and nursing home in South Haven. After the loss of his wife of 36 years, Lisa, his signs of recovery slowed and his health declined. Then during the morning hours of April 10th, James was finally able to go home to Lisa again.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Thursday April 13th 2023 at Flaherty Park in Watervliet. The park address is 309 butternut Street, Watervliet MI 49098. The service will begin at 11:00 am with Rev Richard Kiser officiating.

Thank you to everyone for the support during this difficult time.

If anyone wishes to send flowers please contact me via email, Cecily.finehout@gmail.com or via text at (260) 325-3315 to discuss delivery.

There is also a place to share stories involving James on this site.

Thank you!