Obituary of Beverly Joan Franck

It is with a broken heart but peace of mind that our family acknowledges the loss of our beloved mother and “Nana”, Beverly Joan Franck, who passed away on July 2, 2022 at her home surrounded by loved ones in Chico, California.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband Carl Raymond Franck; and her children Jil Alison Wood and husband Robert Wood, daughters Mackenzie and Aubrey; Cricket Franck Dodge and husband Brooks Dodge, daughters Emily, Sophie and Hannah; sister in-law Karen Tracy and Tom Foxworthy; and many loving friends from all across the world. She was preceded in death by her two brothers, Darrel Shaw and Gary Preston Shaw.

Beverly’s devotion to her children and grandchildren was immeasurable. She doted on them and put them first always, cherishing every special moment. When she could be with them, Bev was the loudest cheerleader at their sporting events and the proudest audience member at their concerts and graduations — her heart would grow beyond the confines of her chest as she watched, and she was more than happy to share the latest accomplishments of Jil, Cricket and “her grand girls” with anyone with whom she shared a cup of tea or glass of wine. She was absolutely thrilled to have been blessed with two daughters and five granddaughters! Bev also loved the many, many school children she taught over the years through her unending dedication to teaching and who still fondly remember the impact she made on their lives. Bev devoted her life to the profession, never tiring of helping children to read and learn to speak English when she specialized as an ESL teacher after many years as a regular classroom teacher. She broadened and enriched their experiences through travel, shared stories, and experiential learning. Her legacy of teaching continues on in her younger daughter and two of her granddaughters, all three following in her footsteps to become teachers themselves and modeling their passion for teaching after her inspiring example. A highlight in Beverly’s career was when she accepted a position to move to Saigon, Vietnam, by herself (husband Carl, was still working in Africa) to join a team of teachers and administration to start a brand new international school. This became the widely admired Saigon South International School (SSIS), which now has more than 1,000 students in attendance. SSIS and the cohort of teachers, administrators, students and families grew impressively over the years and Bev was excited to have been a part of it, and was instrumental in its original vision and subsequent development. As the school motto says, “Once a dragon, always a dragon!” At her retirement, the school honored her with a formal celebration, with recognition and deep appreciation of her tireless work and dedication of many years of service.

Beverly had many challenges to overcome in life, but her love of travel and meeting people in other cultures enriched her adventurous outlook on life and brought her much happiness. Wherever she traveled to, she always landed a job at the local international school so she could teach and connect with others, oftentimes tolerating long separations from family and friends. She did this to join Carl, her husband of 65 years, whose work led him overseas in numerous developing countries. They happily immersed themselves in the culture of these countries, living first in the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal, then onto Southeast Asia to Thailand, Nepal and Vietnam and to the high mountainous country of Lesotho, an enclave in South Africa. She and Carl enjoyed many trips and adventures to other countries nearby and traveled every holiday, often visiting her younger daughter Cricket and family in Chiang Mai, Thailand and her older daughter, Jil and family in Sydney, Australia. Bev and Carl’s daughters carried on this adventurous lifestyle through their own travels and life experiences overseas.

One of Beverly’s most treasured projects was supporting Operation Smile, as she worked tirelessly on behalf of children living with cleft lip and cleft palate so they could undergo reconstructive surgeries through this wonderful organization to help them lead healthier and happier lives. She led many fundraisers with students on behalf of Operation Smile and her favorite was the annual decorative wooden Christmas tree event. If you have one of these Christmas trees and you still bring it out every holiday season, give thanks again for the opportunity you helped provide to children in need. This was Beverly’s focus and wish to enrich many children’s lives and their future.

We hope that you will join us in honoring Beverly with remembrance of the many wonderful contributions she made to others. We are sad to let her go, but are happy she is at peace now after her long, courageous battle with cancer. We wish to honor her memory with this tribute, as we celebrate the kind, fun-loving, adventurous and amazing woman she was to us and to so many others.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are welcomed in her name to benefit children through Operation Smile.