Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

John Christian Franks Jr. was born in 1950, to Marian and John Christian Franks Sr. in Long Beach. John was named after his great-grandfather, who was appointed the first United States Marshal of the District of California by President Grover Cleveland in 1886. John grew up in Long Beach with two siblings, Sharon and Fred. The family was very close. John was raised Catholic and early on he served as an altar boy. He was quiet and shy, but very helpful and was happiest when he was helping other people. His mother, Marian, gave him a love of music. John excelled at piano and saxophone lessons. He dreamed of playing in a band one day.

When John was 14-years-old, he started his first band, "The Pentagons," as he played the keyboard. Inspired by the Beatles, the band members all wore red coats when they performed on stage. Music was his great passion along with a love of football. He played defense on the football team at Long Beach Jordan High School. His nickname on the team was "Juicy John" or "The Juice." He played football after school and then played at most of the high school band functions in the evenings, with a dedication to both interests. After graduating from high school, he attended Long Beach City College, which led to a football scholarship at California State University Fullerton. John earned a degree in Art wi th a minor in Photography, and went onto post-graduate work at California State University Long Beach. With his degree and interest in photography, John and his brother, Fred, started a camera store and photo shop in Anaheim Hills. At one point, their business grew to three stores. Together, they ran their business for 15 years. John did most of the managing at the photo shop, as Fred continued work dredging.

In his personal world, John was unique as he always remained friends with the women in his life. At a young age after high school, he was married to Michelle for two years and they ended up being friends. Then, while John’s band was playing at Ichabods, he met Jan at a Halloween party where Jan dressed as a man and he dressed as a woman. In 1978, Jan and John married in Newport Beach at the Pavilion Queen. It was a beautiful wedding on the boat. John continued playing the keyboard in bands, dedicated to every performance. In fact, the only time he left a gig on stage was when he was playing in his band, "Sojourn," and his wife was ready to deliver their baby. In October 1979, Jan and John welcomed their daughter, Jennifer Marian, into the world. The couple was thrilled with her birth. Even when the couple’s relationship ended, they were still good friends and had a wonderful relationship in raising their daughter together. Jennifer often saw John on weekends and they did so many wonderful things together. Jennifer remembers him as the best father and there were many times spent at Chuck E. Cheese, Bullwinkles, or going to the movies. John was fascinated with watching gorillas and enjoyed taking Jennifer to the zoo. There were also wonderful times spent with Grandma Marian and the rest of the Franks family. When Jennifer showed horses, John went to all of her horse shows, even in Oklahoma. When Jennifer wanted to go to the Stone Temple Pilots concert at 13, John took her. He was pleasantly surprised when he loved the show. John supported Jennifer when she was going to school and she felt comfortable talking to him about anything. Gloria became a big part of John's life and the couple was together for nine years. The couple remained on good terms as Gloria stayed in touch with John and Jennifer. When Jennifer married her husband, Ed, and had her son, Makai, John was so happy to become Grandpa John. He shared his love of music with Makai, even buying him a tambourine and maracas for his recent third birthday. John has had a steady personal relationship with Reeda since 1996, when Reeda asked John out. The couple has been together ever since as they’ve traveled and enjoyed everything life had to offer with each other.

In his musical life, John went on the road to perform. His talents were noticed and he was offered jobs to play with Frank Zappa or play backup for the Righteous Brothers. He played in the band, "Wildlife," which found great success. They played at big hot spots such as the Whiskey a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard and even signed a record deal, planning to go on tour to open for the Doobie Brothers. When he performed with "Wise Guys," the band members all wore black shirts and white ties. He also played as part of a tribute band to Doobie Brothers’ music, "China Grove." His newest band was "Retro Rebels," which was finding success. John had great musical passion and love for songs, but he was humble about his talents. His studio at home was incredible, allowing him to enjoy his great love for bands and music.

John had many favorites in life beyond music. He loved sports, especially football. His favorite sports teams were the L.A. Rams, Lakers and Angels. He collected many issues of his favorite magazine, Keyboard Magazine. When it came to music, he loved rock and roll. Among his favorite music makers were the Beatles, Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, Eric Clapton, among others. He said Paul Rogers had the best voice in the world. He loved German Shepherds and big dogs. He owned many dogs over the years: Ty, Bear, Star, and Josh. His favorite restaurant was Del Taco as he loved Mexican food and hot sauce. His favorite beverage was Crown Royal or Boilermakers. Over the last two years, he started working with a personal trainer, Kharum, and lost 85 pounds, looking toward a he althier future to see his grandson grow up. He took a recent interest in Wise Trade and embraced a new hobby learning about the stock market. He enjoyed traveling to places such as Germany, France, Las Vegas, Reno, Laughlin, New Mexico, Alaska, Caribbean, and Hawaii. He had a great appreciation for nature and loved orchids and gardenias. His favorite color was blue and he had many blue t-shirts he liked wearing. His favorite television shows were crime dramas.

In his family, his relationships were solid. His mother, Marian, was so proud of him for his musical career and attended many of his gigs, watching him on stage in person until she was 78. For his sister Sharon, he was her best friend who knew everything about her life. He was easy to share things with because he’d always listen. For his brother, Fred, John was a good and trusted friend, simply a great man. For his daughter, Jennifer, he was honest and generous. A great father, he was also an incredible grandfather to her son. For his girlfriend, Reeda, of more than 12 years, whom he shared a home with, he was her partner in life. No man has ever treated her so wonderfully. He was always there for her, nursing her back to health after severe injuries. He was the one person she could always count on. Everyone in the family will miss John’s presence as he was greatly loved. Beyond family, over the years, John took friends in when they didn’t have anywhere else to live. He had a willingness to help people and reach out to people who were down on their luck. He made donations to veteran groups and to Olive Crest, for abused children. In fact, at a recent Olive Crest fundraiser, he bid on and won a BMW toy car for his grandson to enjoy.

There are so many memories. Thanksgiving and holidays were big over the years with his mother, Marian. Christmas Eve was spent together at Sharon’s house. The family remained close throughout the years as they also worked together. When he met the Doobie Brothers, they loved John and the band’s music so much and complimented their work. They were extremely impressed with the sound of the band. John had plans for his future. He was planning to set up his HO scale model trains around his house for his grandson, Makai. He and his sister, Sharon, had a planned river trip in a few weeks, while he and his girlfriend, Reeda, were planning another trip to Alaska. John believed in living life and enjoying trips. He often said, "Do what you can, while you can." The best parts of his life were always family and his music. He wished for everyone else’s happiness. John had his final dance with his daughter, Jennifer, only a few weeks ago at Lindsey’s wedding.

Every person that met John had the same comment: "John was such a nice guy." He was a rarity in this world, who will be remembered for decades to come.

His parents and his nephew, Freddie, are remembered as they preceded him in death. John is loved by so many family members: daughter Jennifer and her husband Ed; grandson Makai; sister Sharon; brother Fred; girlfriend Reeda and her daughter Laura; nephews John and Michael; nieces Jodi, Lisa, Lindsey, Laura, and Leslie; good friends Karl, Greg, Jeff and John; and hundreds of fans who enjoyed his music over the years.

John, we love you and we miss you…

To view an online video tribute to John's nephew, Freddie, link to: Youtube.com