Terri Franklin

Terri Lee Tamlyn Franklin was a loving wife, adoring mother, gifted writer, renowned broadcaster and honored volunteer. Her skills in writing and service led her to a career in public relations, and her inter-personal abilities caused her to be a kind and patient listener who always offered loving and non-judgmental advice. She made it her life’s pursuit to help others and extend herself toward worthy causes and community projects. For all the pleasure she derived from music, theater, travel and horses, nothing matched the pure joy of her relationships with family and friends. Terri cherished her husband, her sons and the many people God placed in her life.

Terri was born to Maynard and Mary (McBee) Tamlyn on April 25, 1957 in Dowagiac, Michigan and grew up in Cassopolis. Her father farmed in both rural communities before serving two years in the Army and then becoming a carpenter for Globestar and Skyline recreational vehicles. Her mother remained at home to raise Terri and her younger brother Todd, though she later worked at an auto parts supply shop, Sunstrand Manufacturing. The Tamlyns had extended family throughout Michigan, and they kept in contact with one another through frequent visits. Terri’s family was very close, and she relied on the amazing support and honesty she learned from her parents, even during her mildly rebellious moments as a teen.

Already in elementary school, Terri demonstrated her superb management skills that accompanied her lively spirit and varied interests. Just one visit to a riding stable at Indian Lake at age 8 was all it took for Terri to fall in love with horses and riding. She wasn’t yet 9 years old before she began organizing all the neighborhood children for one reason or another. She raised lambs for family friends and showed them in county fairs. She acted in plays throughout her elementary and high school years, and she played acoustic guitar and sang both folk and gospel music. It wasn’t surprising that she arranged frequent slumber parties and, in years to come, helped plan class reunions. Terri developed many great friendships in high school and remained as close to friends as she could organize.

After graduating with high honors from Cassopolis High School in 1975, Terri went to Michigan State University. She initially explored veterinary medicine because of her childhood fondness for working with dogs, horses and sheep. However, she switched to journalism after deciding that chemistry was not her idea of a good time. She transferred to the University of Maryland and graduated with a degree in journalism, but not before she made an even more significant choice in life.

While still at MSU, Terri met an attractive young man, Ken Franklin, over a dish room garbage disposal at Wilson Hall cafeteria in September 1976. The two started dating in the spring of 1977, and a few months later they became engaged on June 3rd. As they had come to know one another, Ken was impressed that Terri was the one person who seemed happy for him and his pursuits for his own sake. He also fell in love with her singing voice and easy, beautiful smile.

Terri and Ken were married on July 8, 1978 in a Cassopolis church, surrounded by 100 family members and friends, with Terri’s college roommate Nancy Shubitowski (now Snider) as maid of honor and Ken’s brother Jeff as best man. Terri and Ken were a great match, having similar, outgoing personalities and a strong commitment to honesty and care. Over the next 32 years, they never had an argument lasting longer than 30 seconds, and they never went to bed angry with one another.

Terri cast her life in with Ken, beginning with his Army ROTC training at Michigan State, then with the Uniformed Services University medical school in Bethesda, Maryland, followed by a career in family medicine from 1981 to 2002, during which time he earned the rank of Colonel. All the while, Terri pursued her own career and made time to do an exceptional amount of volunteer work that earned her several honors, including the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service by the commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in 1993. Over the years, Terri was active in the Army Family Team Building program, which helped steer support programs for military families. She was also very involved with Vicksburg United Methodist Church, including the choir, a quartet called Foursome Praise, the church council, the Walk to Emmaus, and Disciple Bible Study classes. In 2005, she took over as the coordinator of the Great Gospel Sing-Out, an event involving choirs and singers from over a dozen local churches that raised money for hunger and disaster relief. In the five years she led the program, Terri raised over $150,000 for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, earning her personal recognition from the national headquarters.

In their home life, Terri and Ken delighted in laughter and music. He loved her singing voice, yet he also joked that she had a superhuman ability to clean and gave her the secret identity “TidyBabe.” The love and joy in the home only increased with the births of their sons, Matt in 1984 and Jeremy in 1991. As parents, Terri and Ken worked hard to make the boys feel supported and loved while emphasizing integrity, accountability and Christian love. It worked. In later years, Matt described his mother as a loving inspiration and a patient guide throughout everything life threw at him in childhood and adulthood. Jeremy appreciated the dedication and love of his mother, who was always willing to lend an ear and give advice about everything, even if it was spontaneous, improvisational comedy.

Terri had a long and varied work history, mainly because of the many moves the family made during Ken’s military career. She worked at Mutual Broadcasting Network headquarters in Washington, DC and served as News Director at WGAC-AM radio in Augusta, Georgia. She then transitioned to Public Relations, serving at Paine College in Augusta; Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton, Oklahoma; the Tacoma Public Library and Puget Sound Hospital in Tacoma, Washington; the Columbus Girl Scout Council and the Columbus Museum in Georgia; and the Kalamazoo Area Red Cross. Her two favorite jobs, however, were as head writer for the National Headquarters for Habitat for Humanity and as Senior Services coordinator for Vicksburg’s South County Community Services. She had the distinct pleasure of helping Habitat founder Millard Fuller write his book, “The Theology of the Hammer.”

After Ken retired from the military in 2002, Terri and he settled in Vicksburg and stayed very active. The two of them participated in community theater, and she was on the board of the South County Players. Reminiscent of her high school career, Terri appeared in several plays, including “Lend Me a Tenor” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” She performed in the Vicksburg Rotary Showboat and was a soloist in Main Street Revue.

Terri also made a name for herself by her style and personality. She was known for her wardrobe of sweaters and blouses with unusual appliqués and sequins. She was often referred to as the “sparkliest” woman at Vicksburg United Methodist Church. Everyone was drawn to her “megawatt smile” and easy, sincere laughter. She enjoyed “almost” misbehaving during choir practice.

Terri’s love of singing was accompanied by various interests and hobbies. She was a news junkie, who never missed reading the newspaper in detail and following news and newsmagazines on TV. She became an avid collector of Beanie Babies in 1997 and accumulated over 1000 different stuffed animals. She readily traveled around New York and New Jersey with friends on “Beanie Hunts” for new and rare releases. Her travels also took her on vacations to Orlando in 2006, Europe in 2008, and New Zealand and Australia in January of 2010. That most recent trip was outstanding. Terri and Ken shared amazing adventures that caused them to remark how God was “showing off” some of His greatest work in the landscape and the people.

On the homefront, family life was kept lively with pets. Over the years, the Franklins had one or two dogs, but it had always been Terri’s dream to establish a small farm and keep horses. Her wish came true after her first victory over cancer in 2006, when she acquired Daybreak and Cody. She loved to ride Daybreak and trained Cody to pull a riding cart. In 2007, Terri and Jeremy cajoled Ken into adopting “Osgrr the Mighty,” a rescue dog that constantly slept by Terri when she was recovering from a chemotherapy dose. Osgrr was by Terri’s side continuously on August 3rd.

Terri passed into God’s embrace on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, after living life joyfully for four years after a diagnosis of colon cancer. She will always be remembered for her selfless loving, her joy for the humor and laughter in life, and her devotion to Christian discipleship.

Terri Tamlyn Franklin, age 53 of Vicksburg, Michigan, was preceded in death by her mother. She has one brother, Todd, of Seattle. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Ken Franklin; son Matt, 26, of Whittier, California; and son Jeremy, 18, currently a sophomore at Michigan State University.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, from 9 AM to 12 noon at the Vicksburg United Methodist Church. Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 12 noon at the same location.

Please visit Terri’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can sign her guest book online before coming to the church or archive a favorite memory of Terri. The family requests either red flowers for the memorial service, or memorial gifts to Vicksburg United Methodist Church with a designation to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The Family is being assisted by the Life Story Funeral Home, 409 S. Main, Vicksburg (269-649-1697).