James Franklin III
Mystic — In the early morning hour of April 6, 2018, James Henry Franklin III passed away with his loving wife, Kathleen, by his side. He would have turned 77 on April 18. Jim was first diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor in October 2017 and an adenocarcinoma in December, likely caused by his exposure to Agent Orange herbicide during his time in Vietnam. Serving his country was an honor and one of the proudest times of his life.
Jim was born April 18, 1941, in Baltimore, Md., to William and Mary Franklin. He and his sister, Judy Campbell McKennis, were raised in the Roland Park neighborhood. Jim attended The Gilman School in Baltimore and finished at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut. He attended The University of Virginia, where he was a proud member of the Zeta Psi fraternity and an All-American lacrosse player. After college, he joined the U.S. Navy and served his country in the Vietnam War as a lieutenant and captain of a swift boat. Upon his return to Baltimore, he went to work for Alex Brown & Sons as an investment banker.
Jim met Kathleen (Stillman) in 1990 and the two just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They traveled the world together and spent a marvelous year living in Rome. With multiple home remodel projects in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood in between and since, Jim and Kathleen moved to Mystic to be closer to Kathleen’s family. He cherished his years living on the Mystic River where they both loved to kayak along the Connecticut coastline. Above all else, Jim’s favorite activity was refereeing collegiate and high school lacrosse games all over the state of Connecticut.
Jim is survived by his wife, Kathleen Franklin; his four children, Jenifer Franklin, Kate (Nate) Brundage, Jay (Arran) Franklin and Jodie (Chris) Clarke; three stepchildren, Matthew (Jolene) Blangiardi, Ryan Blangiardi and Laura (Ned) Hosford; and 11 grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Judy McKennis and her four children, Rob, Douglas, Russell Campbell and Marcie McHale; and many great-nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Brain Tumor Association for Glioblastoma Research and to the Vietnam Veterans of America organization.