William Joseph Franklin

William Joseph "Bill" Franklin, 89 years old, of Banning, California, passed away November 29, 2020, in Redlands, California, after an extended illness. Bill was born at Sanger, Denton County, Texas, to Joseph Johnson Franklin and Catherine Lenore Whiteley Franklin. He grew up in Amarillo Texas, where his father, a retired Methodist Minister, later ran a father and son grocery store where Bill worked at an early age. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Norma Jean Baskin Franklin, sons Steven L. Franklin (Jennifer), Lawrence J. Franklin, Douglas W. Franklin (Jill), Nephew, Carl A. Baskin, Jr., who Bill and Norma raised, and granddaughters, Alicia Ahlberg (Erik), Crystal Niapas (Matthew) Laura Hosseini (Parish), Veronica, and Allegra, and great grandchildren Danielle, Tim, Parish, Jr., Bella and Reza. His former wife, Gloria Jean Irwin Franklin and daughter, Catherine M. Franklin, predeceased him.

Bill's careers were all about services to others. He was a retired Captain of the Anaheim Police Department, retired Lt. Col. from USMC, serviced on the Planning Commission and City Council and was Mayor of Corona. He served on LAFCO for the County of Riverside. He obtained an MBA from USC, and Phd. In Government from Claremont Graduate School. He taught Political Science and Social Science classes at junior colleges from LA Trade Tech to College of the Desert, but primarily at San Bernardino Valley College where he felt at home because there were a lot of minority student struggling to get an education that he could relate to having grown up poor during the Depression when his cowboy boots came from the Salvation Army and he and his dad ate mush. During his lifetime he belonged to various organizations: Kiwanis in Anaheim he was a Past-President of the Banning Rotary Club, and he was a Mason and Shriner.

Burial will be at Riverside National Cemetery.