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It is with broken hearts and tremendous grief that we announce the peaceful passing of Judith Leigh Franklin (nee Thompson) July 27,1946 – Jan 8, 2024. Mom was born in Grace hospital in Vancouver and was one of 4 daughters to Wilda & Gerald Thompson.
She died peacefully, with her family by her side in Kamloops.
Mom was an LPN for years and thoroughly loved it. She loved talking in “medical terms” at any appointment she had and always wanted to be up to date on anything new or different regarding sickness, cures, procedures etc.
Mom fell in love with her darling husband Donn (Dad/Grampa) & they raised 3 boys in Paradise Valley (“up the valley”), Squamish. She absolutely loved being a part of that community and was very involved with soccer, baseball, hotdog concession stands with the boys growing up and so much more. There would always be huge family gettogethers at the property for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter etc etc and if you were someone who was going to be alone, you would of course have to grab a plate and join in. Mom loved gardening and had a very green thumb. The property was beautiful with different trees, bushes, flowers and even bamboo. She just loved their fur babies as they usually had a dog or two. Mom was amazing as far as geography and maps were concerned and she loved learning about all the little areas of BC (there were very few places that she did not know where they were) and had travelled through many of them. Mom and Dad bought a travel trailer in the later years and just loved driving and “camping” throughout BC and the USA, with their fur babies of course. They had a timeshare & would go to Mexico, Florida and other places, often with their dear friends Terry and Terry. Mom was an avid reader and usually had more than one book on the go at a time. She was also the fastest reader you have ever seen! Mom knew her old cars. You’d drive by a classic and she’d say “Oh that’s a ‘57 Chevy” and proceed to tell you a story about someone who had one a million years ago.
When Mom moved back to Kamloops in 2022, she joined a monthly Historical Book Club with daughter (in-law) Cori. It was very interesting and always lots of fun. As much as she said she was a loner, she was VERY much a social butterfly and loved to interact and laugh with everyone.
Mom was predeceased by her father Gerald Thompson, her loving husband Donn Kenneth Munro Franklin (1932-2010), beloved mother Wilda Grace Thompson (nee Perry) ( 1915-2004), dearly missed sister Sharon (1943-1986) (Ron), her dear brother-in-law Roger (1947-2012) (Tanis) and her much-loved nephew Garth (1970-1991). Mom is lovingly survived by her eldest son Jordan (daughter-in-law Cori) Thompson, middle son Warren Franklin and youngest son Brandon (daughter-in-law Katia Holl) Franklin and her very much adored grandson Jesse Thompson. Mom is also survived by her sister Tracy & brother-in-law Gerry Dedrick, her sister Tanis Reid and her sister-in-law Dianne Sauter and brother-in-law Norman Rogers. She loved reminiscing about all the amazing memories to last a lifetime. She has many nieces and nephews that she loved dearly…Sheri & (Gary) Sarada, Paige (Ian Smith) Nelson , Kimberly (Peter) Reid, Meghan (Chris Tate) Dedrick, Brooke (Nathan McNinch) Dedrick, and Mitchell Dedrick. Also great nieces and nephews Lindsey (Joe) Mauro, Jamie (Rochelle) Sarada, Kaden Reid, Lola Burgueno, Galo Burgueno, Siri Tate, Rowan Tate and great, great nephews Ben Mauro & Oliver Mauro. Mom cherished all her cousins and of course their families. There were many great family reunions which she thoroughly enjoyed. It warmed her heart to see everyone in one place again as everyone has such busy lives. Mom was always up to date on everything going on in everyone’s life!!! It was a great day when they started a “10 Cuzzies” video chat. Last but not least, Mom collected wonderful friends along the path of her life and she treasured them all in different ways. They were her longest and dear to her heart friends, in no particular order, Jan S, Carol W, Terry A and the Bridge Club Girls and their families, just to mention a few…Thank you all for being so special to Mom and truly making her life happy for all these years. Please forgive me if I have left anyone out as this is a very hard time.
Jordan, Cori and Jesse were overjoyed when Mom moved back to Kamloops in June of 2022. We enjoyed movies, dinners, craft fairs and markets, our Historical Book Club, coffee’s out and so much more. Our family would also make the journey here to spend quality time together. Mom very much loved her family and made sure that they knew it. Right to the very end, you would receive a Christmas card or a birthday card, snail mail! The old fashioned way! She loved writing her cards and she liked keeping in touch by email, once she figured it all out. Then came the day a few years ago when Mom discovered Facebook!!! A monster was created…hahaha. Mom reconnected with people from her past and it was like no time had gone by. She would spend hours and hours on end reading and re-posting all sorts of things she would find interesting or funny. Another new found friend a few years ago, “The Google”, as she would call it. She looked up EVERYTHING!
Mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Ovarian Cancer (Terminal) in 2020 and was expected to have approximately 6 months to a year left to live. She often said how blessed she felt to have had “3 bonus years” to be with her family & friends. Mom did many rounds of Chemo on and off but sadly had other health issues as well which made her take breaks from Chemo, very much affecting her breathing and making her unable to enjoy the things she used to be able to do. She had been in and out of the hospital many times since October with very little relief in between and even with Chemo her body just wasn’t able to fight strong enough. Mom did not have a quality of life that one needs to move forward in the end. Her mind, body and soul was tired from fighting all that it had to fight and it became unbearable for her. She was tired and she was done.
We know that this next part may be hard for some people to understand or even agree with and that’s ok. For Mom it was the biggest blessing there was and she felt extremely lucky to go out on her own terms. Mom was very much at peace with her decision to do MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) and she was not afraid. We, her kids, stood with her and supported her very personal decision. As hard as it was, we knew that this was the best decision for her.
Mom lived life to the fullest and had no regrets. That is a pretty amazing thing to be able to say at the end of your life. She wants you to know that she knows how loved she was and she cherished all the shared memories and laughs over the years. Mom also wants us to continue to make new memories, have belly laughs, stop to smell the roses, smile or say hello to a stranger as it might be the best part of their day, watch for the unexpected dime you see on the ground and be grateful for every moment that we are given. We don’t know when our moments will run out. Mom’s memory will live on through all of those that loved her.
We would like to sincerely thank all of the doctors and nurses who have helped Mom over all the years, including the Emergency doctors, nurses and other staff in more recent times. Everyone was so kind and caring right to her last breath.
As per Mom’s wishes, there will be no funeral service. She would love us to each celebrate and love her and everyone else, in our own special way, every day. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the BC Cancer Society or a charity of your choice.
You were a wonderful daughter, mom, gramma, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, friend and human being. We will love and miss you Mom, every day, always.
Offer Condolence for the family of Judith Leigh Franklin (nee Thompson)
2024
Death notice for the town of: Kamloops, Province: Colombie britanique
death notice Judith Leigh Franklin nee Thompson
obituaries notice Judith Leigh Franklin nee Thompson
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Judith Leigh Franklin nee Thompson and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
