WARREN BYERS. FRANSON 67 years of Blue Springs, Missouri, formerly of the Rosalie, Nebraska area passed away Sunday, June 21, 2009, at the McKay- Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

How to sum up the life of Warren Byers Franson ... The facts: He was born June 3, 1942, to Bennie and Chloe (Byers) Franson. He grew up on a farm in Rosalie, NE where he and his family would dream of owning flat land to farm rather than hills. He went to Rosalie High School and graduated in 1959. He could spend an entire afternoon talking about all the work he used to do on his car and how he and his buddies would race into town on the dirt roads. He loved cars and he loved to go fast.
      He joined the US Navy in 1959 as a way to see the world. After his four year term, he gave college a try at the University of Montana, where he had aspirations of becoming a film producer. The daily routine of college wasn't for him and the call from the sea was too strong to ignore. In 1964, he re-enlisted in the Navy. He married Sharon Schwarten, from Emerson, NE, on December 29, 1966. Together, they had three children, two sons (Scott and Jason) and a daughter (Sara). By 1981, he and Sharon came to the realization that they were better at being friends and divorced, but remained close.
      Once his term in the Navy was over, he went to work for AT&T Communications and reaped the benefits of early retirement. As a retiree, he was free to dabble in anything that interested him. He became interested in antiques and began scouting auctions and finding good buys that he could clean up and sell. He still loved his fast cars and would spend hours researching and enhancing his 1984 Ford Mustang, then his 1991 Ford Thunderbird, to his latest 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII.
      He also spent a lot of his free time taking vacations. He has seen most of the world, from Japan to Australia to China to Europe to South America. His greatest traveling pleasures; however, took place in the great United States of America, and always with family. He spent many trips with his younger brother, David Franson, and his kids. Trips were always a family affair. Countless hours were spent on the open highway, heading west. Travel within the United States was almost always done by car. He fully believed that people who took airplanes missed so much of the beauty and history that our country had to offer. His final vacation was a trip to Rosalie, NE for his 50th high school reunion, then to Salt Lake City, UT for a reunion with his former Navy shipmates. The plan was to continue on to Brookings, OR, where he could sink his feet into the sand and smell the sweet Pacific Ocean air. He never made it to Brookings, OR. He passed away due to internal complications in Ogden, UT on June 21, 2009, surrounded by his kids and grandkids.
      The facts of Warren Franson's life do not begin to describe him as a person. He was strong and faithful when it came to his dedication and love for his family and friends. He was stubborn and determined when it came to doing something he very much wanted. He was a pleasant and joyous surprise to everyone that met him. He spent a lot of his last three years in and out of hospitals and one of the most common remarks from the nurses and doctors were, "We just love him." Was it his sense of humor, his mannerisms, his truthfulness? It was all of those things that made him Warren.
      He relished and thrived in laughter and being surrounded by his loved ones. Space and the final frontier fascinated him. Fast cars, planes and ships excited him. Good toe tappin' music thrilled him. Travel and new things intrigued him. Independence Day and other loud bangs and booms electrified him. Accomplishments of his family and friends radiated from him. He was always one to never let things get in the way of doing what he truly wanted to do. He lived his life to the fullest and he expected nothing less from those around him.
     His brother, David Franson, his sons, Scott Franson and Jason Franson, his daughter, Sara Franson, his grandchildren, Shanell Patterson and Ethan Franson, his great-grandchild, Logan Patterson, and his countless number of friends will carry the memory of Warren in their hearts. When a Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, or John Denver song plays on the radio, when a night sky is spotted with endless stars, or when a fireworks display illuminates the darkness and shatters the silence, be sure to smile and know that Warren would be doing the exact same thing. Rejoice in all of the wonders of the world, natural and man-made, surround yourself with family and friends, and do whatever you can to be happy with life.

GRAVESIDE SERVICE: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 10:30 a.m.

BURIAL: Lyons Cemetery, Lyons, Nebraska

MILITARY HONORS: Robert Klase VFW Post No. 7998 and Harvey Lenig American Legion Post No. 83

NO VISITATION

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