Rev. Dr. William D. Franks, Sr.

SHREVEPORT, LA - William "Brother Billy" Franks went home to be with his Savior on Sunday, April 24, 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 90 years old. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Oakmont Church of God, 5925 West 70^th, Street, Shreveport, (318) 687-5243. Visitation will be held at Oakmont Church on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Interment will be held at Forest Park West Cemetery immediately following the service on Thursday. Brother Billy was born on February 25, 1926 in Cedar Grove, Louisiana. He was the youngest child of George Watson and Pearl Galloway Franks. At a very early age he attended the 62^nd Street Church of God and was saved while attending a church camp at the age of 12. He attended Fairfield Elementary School and graduated from C.E. Byrd High School in 1943. About a year after graduation, he joined the United States Army and, after training, was sent to the Philippines to serve with the 22^nd Base Postal Unit in Manila. He always joked that he lived across the street from General MacArthur; the General in the Manila Hotel, Brother Billy in a pup tent. In 1946, he returned to Shreveport and attended Centenary College of Louisiana where he met his future wife, Lottie Mae Hood. They were married on August 29, 1947 and together realized that God was calling them to the ministry and a life of service. In July 1949 the young couple began holding church services in their home and Brother Billy founded the Oakmont Church of God. As the congregation grew, they held services in a local Boy Scout hut and eventually moved the church to a building on West 71^st Street. Over the years the church has moved to larger facilities, ultimately locating at its current location on West 70^th Street in Shreveport. Brother Billy always felt the call to spread the word of God and in 1976 went to Guatemala to minister to the people after a series of devastating earthquakes. This was the first of many mission trips, work camps, conferences, mission conventions and revivals he would organize and participate in through the years in Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, the People's Republic of China, Dominican Republic and Eagle Pass, Texas. In 1983 he worked with the Inter-American Conference of the Church of God to establish the work of the Church of God in the Dominican Republic. He also formed the Missionary Action Projects, a non-profit organization to coordinate and consolidate the efforts of numerous Churches of God to support missionaries and mission projects around the globe. His hands-on work in the Dominican Republic led to numerous new churches and a school with over 1000 students, which serves children from kindergarten through high school. He was a leader in the Church of God and served on the Board of Trustees of Mid-America Bible College (now Mid-America Christian University) for fifteen years. He was Chairman of the Church of God Association of Evangelist and served in various positions in the Louisiana Assembly of the Church of God including Chairmanship of the Louisiana Ministerial Fellowship. In 1996 he was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity by Mid America Bible College. Brother Billy has mentored, educated, advised, counseled, and guided numerous budding young pastors in their journey to become ordained. After retiring from his position as Senior Pastor at Oakmont Church of God, Brother Billy moved to The Stiles at The Glen, approximately four years ago where he continued his ministry by conducting weekly Sunday School classes and a Men's Bible Study group. Brother Billy began every prayer by saying, "God, you have been so good to us". He was truly kindhearted and a source of comfort and limitless compassion. He was a gentle man who dedicated his life to God and who, tirelessly and with steadfast faith, was a beacon of light and inspiration to people around the world, serving God for over sixty-six years. Brother Billy was preceded in death by his parents, George Watson and Pearl Galloway Franks, his wife Lottie Mae Franks, son Murray Franks and brothers and sister Ray Franks, Jewell Franks, Tillman Franks, Marshall Franks and Mary Franks Campisi. He is survived by his son, William Derrel Franks, Jr. and wife, Sandy, daughter Kathy Sullivan and husband, Bill, daughter-in-law, Betty Franks, grandchildren Alicia Franks Gibson and husband, Troy, William Derrel Franks III, Scott Sullivan and wife, Mindy, Cody Sullivan and wife, Rita, Madison Franks Thompson and husband, Tyler, Jeffrey Belden and wife, Ashley, and Thomas O'Hara and wife, Angie. Great-grandchildren Kalli Sullivan, Ally Sullivan, Emily Sullivan, Claire Sullivan, Taylor Sullivan, Kennedy Belden, Michael Mark Belden, Alexis Thompson, Nolan Thompson, and William Derrel Franks, IV, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, in-laws and cousins. The family would like to thank Dr. Charles Hargon and his staff at Willis Knighton North as well as the staff at The Stiles at the Glen for their loving and dedicated care they provided to Brother Billy. The family suggests that memorials may be made to the Missionary Action Projects in the name of Brother Billy Franks at P.O. Box 1131, Kilgore, Texas 75663-1131.