Harry Edgar Franklin July 1, 1946- December 2, 2014 Columbus, Georgia- Harry Edgar Franklin of Columbus, GA died at the age of 68 on December 2, 2014 at Columbus Hospice after a short illness. The funeral "home-going celebration" service will be held Friday at Edgewood Baptist Church at 11 AM. Reverend David Howle will be officiating at the service. Visitation will be Thursday evening from 5-7 PM at Striffler- Hamby, Columbus and will also be available at Edgewood Baptist Church one hour prior to the service. Alan Adam's Sunday School class will be serving as honorary pallbearers. Harry was born July 1, 1946 in Philippi, West Virginia, son of Charles Edward Franklin and Eleanor Alice Hume Franklin but grew up and spent most of his life in Georgia. He worked as a journalist for 40 years, the last 37 years at the Columbus Ledger Enquirer where he covered just about everything including state news, crime, education, elections, outdoors, sports, and entertainment over the course of his career holding several positions, most notably State Editor and Outdoor Writer. Harry had a passion for reporting and his openness and integrity quickly won him the respect and confidence of his peers and the community. It also garnered him several awards as a writer, for instance, the Associated Press Managing Editor's First Amendment Award. He and Jim Houston were awarded the State Bar of Georgia's Silver Gavel Award for their investigative reporting of a corrupt Probate Court judge in 1990 leading to his removal from office. He was also instrumental in the newspaper winning the internationally recognized Edward W. Scripps award for excellence in Journalism. Over the years he served in the role of President and also as Chairman of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and sat on the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association. Harry also received the Conservation Communicator of the Year Award from the Georgia Wildlife Federation. He even managed to become the most prolific writer at the newspaper despite avoiding computers for as long as humanly possible and writing his stories on a typewriter well into the nineties. Harry kicked off his career at the University of Georgia where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He was a News and a Sports Editor for the university newspaper The Red and Black and was inducted into the Sigma Delta Chi Journalism Society while in Athens as well as the Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity. While there he developed a passion for Georgia Bulldog football that he carried with him throughout his life. After college he helped found a daily newspaper in Anderson, South Carolina and served as its editor. He also worked as a government affairs reporter for the Greenville News - Piedmont and was on the state news staff of the Athens Daily News. Harry was very active in his church as a member and deacon at Edgewood Baptist Church in Columbus. He served over 35 years in the Prayer Room ministry at the church providing a helpline to those in need of support and sang in both the Adult Choir and the Senior Choir, including two years as Choir President. Harry volunteered every week at the Columbus Baptist Association's Mission Columbus and delivered Meals on Wheels, both programs providing assistance to those in need in the community. Harry loved nature and enjoyed taking walks through the park each day and would frequently stop and indulge his hobby of amateur photography to take shots of local wildlife and fauna. He co-authored a book of poetry with his wife Patricia, entitled God Revealed in Nature and stayed busy in his retirement editing a number of books for Brentwood Publishing and for other authors he encountered throughout his travels and daily life. Harry loved people and would stop and talk to anyone about whatever was on his mind. He met so very many people this way and quickly formed lasting relationships from such chance encounters. He is survived by his wife of 39 years Patricia Quinn Franklin; son, Jonathan Quinn Franklin; daughter ,Christy Saxon; son-in-law, Nick Saxon; grandchildren, Jesse James Saxon, Chance Saxon, and Shawnee Hines (Chad); great-grandchildren, Braydn and Kenslee; brothers, Charles E. Franklin, Jr. and Stephen C. Franklin; mother-in-law, Juanita Quinn; sister-in-law, Shirley Stone (Bob); aunt, Sarah Paul McLeod; nephews, Charles E. Franklin III (Jill), Andrew C. Franklin, and Michael Stone; great-nephew, Robert Franklin; great-nieces, Ashley Franklin, Brianna Stone and Hailey Stone, and numerous and beloved cousins. He was preceded in death by his daughter Amy Elizabeth Franklin and his parents. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Columbus Baptist Association's Mission Columbus (3679 Steam Mill Road Columbus, GA 31906) where Harry spent so much of his time volunteering or to Edgewood Baptist Church (3564 Forrest Rd Columbus, GA 31907).

Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA) - Thursday, December 4, 2014
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