Judy I. Franko

Judy Irene Franko                                                          

Marion: Judy Irene Franko “Nonnie”, lover of life, died on Friday morning, July 21, 2017, surrounded by family. She put up a great fight, but in the end the cancer won.  Although she is gone, her caring, kind and generous persona will not be forgotten.

Judy was born on October 20, 1946 in Springfield Massachusetts, where she lived and grew up. She moved to NY in 1970 and worked as the most compassionate respiratory therapist there ever was, for 40 years.  She loved her job and it was so obvious how her patients would touch her heart as much as she did theirs, by her sharing of endless stories after each shift, no matter how bad her feet hurt.

Judy is survived by her husband Eugene “Bo,” brother John, her children Stephanie (Frank), Christine and Jeanette (Travis), and grandchildren, Hailey, Casey, Nick, Gideon and Graci. If you were lucky enough to know Judy, you would know how much she loved each and every one of them.

Judy was a unique soul who will always be remembered for her character, generosity and unbelievable ability to make you feel like you were the most special person in the world. Don’t tell her you liked something unless you meant it, because that something would be yours the next time she saw you, like it or not. It was seldom to see her without cash or credit card in her hand, purchasing or doing something to make others happy. (QVC may go out of business now that she is gone!) She was generous to a fault, yet never sugar coated anything. (Watch out heaven, here she comes!)

“Nonnie” will be remembered by her grandchildren for her chicken fingers, her world renowned homemade caramels, always giving them “stuff,” and her inability to say “NO” to them. We are so lucky to have the everlasting memories of mani-pedis, Orbaker’s in PJ’s, summers at the cottage, and winters down South.

Friends will never forget her outrageous personality and how she was always the life of the party. We were all blessed to share so many hours of smiles and laughter. You couldn’t attend a party by Judy without letting your inner child play.  Goody bags, light up toys, and all kinds of junk were staples she would always supply… and we can’t forget to mention the highballs too.

There will be no calling hours, but friends and family are asked to join us Friday, July 28th from 5:00-9:00 p.m. to celebrate Judy’s life at the Aqueduct Park in Palmyra. We’ll drink, share stories, and laugh the way Judy would want it. The family is asking that instead of flowers please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.  Also, an unexpected, unsolicited act of kindness for some poor soul in Judy’s name would be wonderful.

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