Alice "Jean" Virginia (Boles) Franks

Alice Virginia (Boles) Franks (Jean) of Homewood, Alabama, passed away at the age of ninety-six on December 20, 2023, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, with her loving family by her side. Jean (Nanna, Gram) left behind a legacy of joy, love, and friendship. She is survived by her children Dan Woods, Alice (Biff) Ferrell, and Ed (Cyndy) Dunning and preceded in death by her children Josephine (Tom) Santay and Constance Lafayette. Her loving family also includes fifteen grandchildren, twenty-six great grandchildren, and five great- great grandchildren.

Born June 11, 1927, Jean came from a humble background. She grew up on a farm in Bangor, Alabama with six siblings. Her family struggled to survive the Great Depression, the death of Jean’s sister (Helen), who died at 11 months old, and the tragic case of measles and whooping cough that left her younger sister, Margaret, with brain damage. As the family dynamics fell, Jean was assigned the sole responsibility of teaching Margaret to walk again. With Jean’s compassion, patience and love, Margaret recovered her ability to walk.

During WWII, when Jean’s brothers went off to war, Jean did her part to help the family by working at a munitions factory. It was her purposeful determination that led her to this first paid job as a patriotic worker.

Later during her life, with her children constantly at the YMCA pool, Jean and her daughter began to give swimming lessons to babies, hearing impaired individuals and children with disabilities. Later she became a lifeguard at the Tapawingo Plunge in Pinson Valley. As a lifeguard she always thought of how to help others be safe; during her position not one accident occurred.

As her children grew into adults, she left her position as a lifeguard, and chose another position in the people business. Jean began working as a store clerk for K- Mart and advanced to the position of department manager. Under her tenure, her department became the leading top-notch department in K-Mart, for which she received several awards and recognitions. When she worked in the wig department at Kmart, women with hair loss due to cancer sought her out for her kindness, compassion, and expertise in style and fit. Jean enjoyed helping people and meeting new friends, including celebrities such as Tammy Wynette, and George Jones.

After twenty-seven years Jean retired from K-Mart to enjoy her family time. Even in retirement though, she actively sought to help people through her affiliation with groups such as the Rebekahs (a service-oriented organization and branch of the Oddfellows) and Order of the Eastern Star. She served in these organizations for years, helping with various charitable causes such as orphanages.

For the past two decades, Jean found her friends and activities through the local senior center, specifically her beloved Homewood Senior Center. She cherished spending time with her friends and learning new things, she sang with the choir, praised her Lord in the Bible study, and sought to help and uplift others when she could.

For her 96 years on earth, she always thought of “how can I help other people”, always putting herself last. As the gates of heaven have opened to welcome her, please give her one last chance to help; in lieu of flowers, donating generously to the https://www.v.org where 100% of donations goes to cancer research.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses of UAB Medicine and Hospice of North Alabama for their excellent care. As you join us for Jean’s Celebration of Life, please leave the dark colors behind and dress in the festive colors she loved (reds, pinks, and blues).