Fran was special. And no one new this better than his friends. Fran cherished his friends. If you were Fran's friend, you KNEW he was FUN. And you knew he was moody, and generous, big hearted, a pain in the ass. And, yet...you couldn't help but LOVE Him. He had so many longggg time friends, of which here is a selection of the only photos that I had access to. I don't have as many photos as I wish I did. If you were one of his friends and have pictures with Fran, I would love to include you here as well! Please email to dropanchor@therealestateconch.com
DEFINITELY Please add your comments and remembrances of Fran at the bottom of this page in the comments section!
 |
| The Rock'n Rebels!!! South Dade High 1958 |
 |
| Rockin' Rebel #1 and Rockin Rebel #2 - Friends for 60 Years!! Wayne Williams and Fran. The same 2 guys on the right side of the Picture Above this one, |
 |
| With his great friend, the late, Bill Baker |
 |
| Long Time Friends from the early 1960's while stationed in the Air Force in Morocco. John Davis, Fran, and Bob Martinez |
 |
| Friends for sooooooo long from FPL, "Duke" Stoetzer and Fran. They made WHATEVER they were doing, FUN. |
 |
| One of Fran's proudest achievements, was in 1980, as part of The Energizers team from FPL in a 24Hour Relay!! With great teammates including Chuck Gainsford, Al Skipper, John Crane, Mike Braid, Dave Douglas, and Chip Drobney. (Thank you John Crane for this great photo!) |
• The day your grandfather was registering Fran into school (our Sophomore year). Fran’s Dad brought him into South Dade’s locker room and introduced him to our coaches (Thernes, Worley, and Adams). I don’t know why I was in that place at that time, but I was probably one of the first of his classmates to welcome him to our school. Our friendship lasted since that date in 1954 or 55…THAT IS 60 YEARS!
ReplyDeletePaul & Linda Schowalter, Hickory, NC
Frank and I met in 1960 at the USO Club in Casablanca. It was friendship at first sight. A friendship that lasted 53 years. The USO was a second home to young G.I.s and young Hostesses under the vigilant eyes of chaperons, some of them our mothers, and the Directors, Mr. and Mrs. Moody. We met on Wednesday and Saturday evenings and we danced, and we danced…boy, did we dance.
ReplyDeleteFrank was my favorite cha-cha partner. Come to think of it, I only danced the cha-cha with him. I feel so lucky to have known those days of innocence and the pure joy of simple things like a dance with a good friend.
When I got married (Frank and John were our witnesses) and left Casablanca, Frank and I lost contact. But not for long, thanks to our very best friend “Big John” Davis. From then on we would call each other for no reason, just to talk about our families, Mykael his pride and joy. He would always end our conversations with a joke, sometimes corny, but most of the time very funny, always in good taste (he was a real gentleman) and then he would laugh and laugh, his very contagious laughter.
One year he came to California. It was Mykael’s 21st birthday and we celebrated it at my house. Frank was so happy to show off his son; he was glowing. Every time I went to Hawaii I would send him a photo of Diamond Head and every time he would tell me what he called his spiritual experience: the birth of a new day over Honolulu from the top of the volcano.
About two months ago, I think, we talked for the last time. He was very ill; he told me that he was certain the Bon Dieu (the Good Lord) would take care of him. His faith was huge.
I miss you my friend. I hope that you are with Big John having the time of your eternal life (if I dare say). Paradise will never be the same with you two up there! I’ll never forget you. (I still have all the toys you have sent me over the years)…”Thank you for being my friend”.
Claudine De Lara-Davidson
I knew FRAN from about 1959 until 2014. We both worked side by side through various depts. at FPL. we shared the same friends and the same enemies in our lengthy careers. After we got out of 'accounting' was the first step up into the customer service.telephone board where every day was like being back in high school. We turned a boring job into first class fun. And then because we were damn good at telling propaganda to customers we were promoted to the SALES DEPT. where we really began to enjoy life. We could schedule our days and do what we did best::: convince customers that FPL really cared. After that dept. we separated. I went off into the engineering dept and he was promoted into the astonishing start of a great sales career. He drove the public relations VAN all over Florida, just him and his gift of gab, visiting every county fair and Home Show across the state. He was really good at it. Lately our only friendship-contact after retirement has been through the telephone and every conversation was full of laughs. We never forgot our ancient enemies or our good friends. I miss him a lot.
ReplyDelete...Stoetzer...
Fran was a remarkable fellow who enjoyed life. Viewing the posted photos confirms the love he had for his family and the fun they had! I enjoyed working with him and am a better person to have known him.
ReplyDeleteBest regards,
Greg Cope/FPL
Fran the Man... what a guy! I first met Fran in the early 80's when I was transferred to the Marketing Dept. He was a fun, loyal, dedicated and extremely determined friend to us all. I remember when he so severely hurt his back. The Drs. told him he most likely would never run another marathon.... he never let that stop him. He went on to run many more. I asked him how he did it and he told me with self determination and a little of both Eastern and Western treatments. We also had some great times during our competitive Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Membership Drive days. If I were ahead of him in the competition, he'd jestfully say it was because I was a women.... I'd tell him to go home and put on his running shorts.... he had much better legs. I had pictures from our early Marketing days but most of them were destroyed in Hurricane Andrew. If I can find any I will send them to you, Mykael. You have made a tremendous tribute to your father. RIP Fran.
ReplyDeleteKathy Gorodetzer
I met Fran while working in the CG office of FPL. We became friends immediately. With Fran, that was easy to do. We played some handball together but running ultimately became our thing. We had great runs form the Parrot Jungle to Coconut Grove and back. Such great memories. We had a common thread...French wives. That fact led to some very interesting conversations. I was fortunate to be able to catch up with Fran this past July as I was down in Miami for my HS 50th. reunion. We must have talked for 30 minutes on the phone. Little did I know it would be the last time I spoke to my friend. He will be remembered for his smile, compassion and kindness. Traits that we all should be striving for. Rest in Peace, my friend.
ReplyDelete