Obituary of William F Francis

William Frederick Francis Sr. passed on June 7,2024 after valiantly living with COPD while maintaining his humor and determination; he gave it his all! Bill was born October 12,1935 in the town of Laona, NY, the son of the late Chester and Edna May (Willson) Francis. He was the last surviving sibling to Jim, Tom Francis,Diane Shults & Kathy Finger. After losing his mother and father at a young age, Bill lived with sister Diane, until joining the Air Force from 1954-1958. He traveled to many bases, including a memorable 18 months in Thule, Greenland, as well as Tripoli,N. Africa. Bill married Dianne Malta and they had 5 children: Jackie, Jody, Vicki, Valerie and Bill. He also had an older son, Jeff, who sadly passed away June 2022. Bill grew up in Ashville and had a deep loyalty to the town. He was a former volunteer fireman, was a big supporter of the Veteran's Park on N. Maple Street and one of the founding members of the LLAMA Club in 1974, making lifelong friends and doing a lot of good for the community. He was very proud of his daughter and was a big influence in the beginning years of the Ashville General Store, where last year he donated a large atomic clock that hangs out front. His good friend Guy Peacock was instrumental in getting the job done. Bill was also extremely proud of his children, his 15 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. He passed his love of playing cribbage on to his kids and grandkids. When two of the older daughters, who never learned to play, asked to learn, his short, blunt answer was- "it's too late for you". He was a wiley guy who had his kids and grandkids vying for his approval of their fruit pies, telling each that the others were better. Bill made several trips to his son Bill's beautiful home in N. Carolina and couldn't be more proud of all of his accomplishments. Bill loved to instill common sense and a hard work ethic to his kids, and their kids."Think about it", "don't go empty handed" were common expressions. In the past 16 months Bill became a huge part of his daughters' lives and will leave a big hole in their lives and in their hearts. He never wanted to let them down and was a trooper until the end. Bill was a lover of the outdoors and in these last couple months, fought hard to get out as much as he could, scooting around Ashville and visiting his friend Sneeze. A celebration of life will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at the LLAMA Club. If you desire to leave a donation, consider the Ashville Fire Department or Chautauqua Hospice through which Bill met Julie, Emma & Deanna and was very grateful for them. Bill was also thankful for the care given and cookies baked by family friend, Lynn