John Francis Franco

John Francis Franco, 94, of Ellington, entered into eternal peace and reunited with his late wife Gloria (DellaFera) Franco on Thursday, June 6, 2024. John was born in Hartford, CT on July 26, 1929, and was the son of the late Joseph and Anna (Champ) Franco. He was a proud United States Marine Corps Veteran serving in World War II. After being honorably discharged, John went on to work for the Hartford Police Department and then to the State of CT Department of Transportation. John then moved to Florida and became head of the security department for Florida Institute of Technology. When he came back to CT, John worked for Travelers Insurance Company as an investigator and finally retired in 1998. In his free time, John enjoyed being in the outdoors fishing and hunting. He also enjoyed bowling, playing bingo, blackjack, and playing cards with his family. Above all, he was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

John is survived by his three children; Michael John Franco and his wife Laurie of Ellington, Gloria-Jean “Jeanne” Perrett and husband Walter of Manchester, and John Francis Franco II and fiancé Nancy of Amherst, NH. Three grandkids; Michael II, Angela, and Christina. Four great-grandkids; Michael III, Nox, Braylon, and Natalia. Along with his Uncle Joseph Passasetti of Collingdale, PA. John is predeceased by a daughter-in-law Debbie Franco.

A message from John’s children: “Dad, we will miss you. You were our “go-to” when life got rough. You were always someone we could count on. You always made sure we made our own decisions. Because of you, we have the hearts of a lion and the love of our family. You taught us to work hard for what we wanted in life. You took care of Mom at home, as she battled Parkinson’s, which showed us compassion, caring, and love. Say Hi to Mom and blow her a kiss from all of us. Love you always!”

Funeral services for John will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John’s name to American Parkinsons Disease, P.O. Box 718, Old Mystic, CT 06372. John’s family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff at The Residence of South Windsor Farms, especially in the reflections memory care unit and to the Visiting Hospice Nurses in Health Services of Vernon, CT for their compassionate care of John. The D’Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter St. East Hartford has been entrusted with the care of the arrangements. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopoeh.com