Ozro K. Franklin

98 year old Ozro K. Franklin of the Blue Springs Community died Wednesday at DeKalb Community Hospital. He was a member of Pine Crest Baptist Church in Johnson City, Tn. and a regular attendee of the First Baptist Church in Smithville, and a member of the American Legion. He was a heavily decorated 22 year veteran of the U.S. Army, 17 of which served overseas. He participated at Normandy on the second day of combat, and went all the way through Europe to the Rhine River while helping liberate one prison camp, surrounded in the Battle of the Bulge, and also served two tours of duty in the Korean War, and also spent time in Panama and the Phillipines. He was also a retired ETSU police officer. The funeral will be Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Tim Singleton will officiate with burial in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Friday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until the service time at 1:00 p.m. He was preceded in death by his parents, General and Julia Berry Franklin; wife, Lydia Mae Franklin; two sisters, Earlene Carver and Ivory Yates, and three brothers, Ronald, Conley, and Donald Franklin. He is survived by one son, Benjamin G. Franklin and wife Linda; one granddaughter, Misty and husband Daniel Agee, and special caregiver, Pat Arnold, all of Smithville. Several nieces and nephews also survive. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.