Joseph Franck

Joseph “Joe” Franck, 78 of Bismarck, ND, passed away on April 12, 2016, from complications from pneumonia at Sanford Hospital in Bismarck, ND, surrounded by his wife, children and close family members. His firm belief in the Lord gave him peace. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30AM Saturday, April 16, 2016 at Church of St. Anne, 1321 Braman Ave., Bismarck, ND, with Rev. Wayne Sattler as celebrant. Visitation will be held from 5 to 9PM Friday at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil service will begin at 7PM. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Joe's life. Burial will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bismarck. Joe was born in Emmons County, ND, on September 16, 1937, to the late Markus and Ida (Ternes) Franck. The third child of five, Joe took an active role in operating the family farm after his father passed away in 1947. Being naturally bright, Joe left school after the seventh grade to help support the family. On June 4, 1959, Joe married Helen Kiefer at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in rural Hague, ND. Throughout their marriage, Joe carried his favorite photograph of Helen in his wallet and enjoyed surprising her with special gifts such as flowers and trips to their favorite places like Branson, MO, and Medora, ND. Joe and Helen raised six children – Ida, Bill, Jerry, Peter, Amy and Dorothy. Joe encouraged his children to work hard, grow into smart, independent people and stay true to the Lord. Though emotion expression was not his strong suit, Joe was exceptionally proud of all of his children and loved to brag about them to friends and strangers. Together, Joe and Helen made a successful life of farming with their children, starting on the Franck family homestead in 1959 and then moving to Ryder, ND. They farmed in Ryder from 1962 to 1968 and finally settled on a farm three miles east of Hague, ND in 1968. Joe Franck was a force of nature. He combined vision, tenacity and sheer hard work and determination to build a successful farming operation. Rocks were such a nemesis for Joe on the farm that he went to great lengths to have them removed from the decorative landscape in his final home in Bismarck so he did not have to look at them every day. After retirement, Joe still enjoyed attending cattle sales and working with his son Pete in the feedlot business and particularly enjoyed the red angus cattle breed. Joe was passionate, energetic, confident, and smart as a whip. There were no strangers to Joe. He loved people and talking (and talking, and talking, and talking) story and joke telling, laughing and... talking. If you knew Joe Franck, you knew Joe Franck and his passion for farming, the pride he took in his family, politics, love for the Lord and...talking. Joe was a devout Catholic and active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hague, ND for decades. He was a lifetime member of the Hague Knights of Columbus, serving as the Grand Knight for two years as well as a life time member of the Fourth Degree Knights. Joe is survived by his wife Helen (Kiefer) Franck; six children: Ida Scherr, Bill (Ramona Krumm) Franck, Jerry (Kathy Noel) Franck, Peter (Lisa Ritz) Franck, Amy Weigel, and Dorothy (Daniel) Jacobi; 14 grandchildren Heidi Scherr, Scott Scherr, Rebecca (Thomas) Sprynczynatyk, Cassandra (Andrew) Kading, Nicholes Franck, Jerame Franck, Brandon (Miranda Honeymann) Franck, Cole Franck, Dr. Matthew Franck, Dalton Franck, Austin Weigel, Teresa Weigel, Daniel Jacobi II, Delaney Jacobi: and one great-grandchild Jamison Scherr. He is also survived by siblings, Markus and Helen Franck, Marie Swallow, and Betty and Joe Vogel; and in-laws Frank and Carol Kiefer, Joe and Rose Kiefer, Rose Holzer, Katie Glatt, Alvina Baumgartner, and Bernice Nagel. Joe was preceded in death by his father, Markus Franck; mother, Ida (Ternes) Franck; father-in-law, Peter Kiefer; mother-in-law, Amelia Kiefer; sister, Alvina Bosch; son-in-law, LeRoy Scherr; and numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to First Choice Clinic, 1351 Page Dr. Suite 205 Fargo, ND 58103 or The God's Child Project, PO Box, 1573 Bismarck, ND 58502. “And just one more thing…” Go to www.parkwayfuneral.com to share memories of Joe and sign the online guestbook.