Grant Lafayette Franklin, M.D., 97, formerly of Cleveland Heights, OH, died Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at his home in Long Beach, CA after a brief illness, surrounded by family.
Dr. Franklin was born June 21, 1918 in Pauls Valley, OK, the oldest child of Cary and Susan Franklin. From 1942 to 1945 he served in the United States Air Force as a 1st Lieutenant and as a meteorologist with the Tuskegee Airmen.
He received a B.S. degree from Langston University in 1941, an M.S degree from The Atlanta University in 1947, and an M.D. from Meharry Medical College in 1951. In 1956, he completed a general surgery residency at the Cleveland Veterans Administration and Case Western Reserve University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. Following residency, he practiced general surgery in Cleveland for 40 years serving on the staff of several hospitals. He was a senior clinical instructor of surgery at Case Western Reserve University Hospital and Chief of General Surgery at Meridia Huron Hospital.
He was on the board of numerous civic and professional organizations. In 1984, as a trustee of the Forest City Hospital Foundation, he was co-presenter of a $1,500,000.00 grant to the Eliza Bryant Center, which at the time was thought to be the largest contribution from one black charitable institution to another in the country.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, his wife of 48 years, Rita, and by a daughter, Monique. He is survived by a daughter, Julie Franklin, M.D. and husband Darrell Harrington, M.D. of Long Beach, CA,; a son, Grant Franklin, Jr., M.D. and wife Bonnie Houlihan of Morgantown, WV,; and a daughter, Carol Susan Franklin, PhD. of Cleveland, OH. He is survived by four grandchildren, Nina Franklin, of Valencia, CA, Brooke Franklin, of Morgantown, WV, as well as Izabela and Elzie Harrington, of Long Beach, CA. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Cremation services provided by Mckenzie Mortuary in Long Beach, CA. Interment along with his spouse will follow at Riverside National Cemetery with military honors.
A memorial celebration will be held in Long Beach, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, 505 Eighth Avenue, Suite 902, N.Y., N.Y., 10018.