Obituary of James L. Francis

James Lewis Francis, 93, of Clinton, NY, died on March 3, 2010. He was born on October 5, 1916 to Wallace Griffith and Luella (Murphy) Francis in Remsen, NY. He was a graduate of the one-room school in Remsen and reminisced about attending school in the winter by sleigh. He was valedictorian of a class of 9 in 1933. His Remsen upbringing and Welsh heritage were important factors in shaping who he was. His first two years of college were at Syracuse University where he was a proud member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and completed his DDS in1940. He interned for a year at Johns Hopkins and told the story of Clark Gable handing him his dentures saying, "My good man, don't drop them." He then returned to central New York to begin a dental practice in Ilion. Within a year he was stationed in England with the United States Army Air Corps Hq. 445th Bomb Group H for three years and was honorably discharged at the end of World War II as a captain. That assignment allowed him to visit the family farm in Wales for the first time. Following his tour of duty in England, in 1945 he purchased the dental office of Dr. Garlinghouse at 18 Williams Street in Clinton to begin his own practice that lasted 51 years. He served as the dentist for Hamilton College as well as often for the Clinton Comets. His most famous patient was Liza Minelli when she was in town in 1968 for a film shoot. On May 21, 1949 he married Virginia P. Bare in the Stone Presbyterian Church, Clinton. They resided at 5 Elm Street for 34 years and raised four children. He was active in Stone Church as well as the Kiwanis Club, Boy Scouts, and the Kirkland Bird Club. Summer weekends were spent at camp in the Adirondacks, first on Honnedaga Lake, and later at Piseco. He enjoyed many outdoor activities including gardening, identifying wildflowers and birds, hiking, and cross country skiing. In 1983 he participated in designing and building his dream passive solar house on Harding Road. After retirement in 1996 he and Ginny traveled to many distant places with Elderhostel and Audubon tours. Surviving are his wife, Ginny, of 60 years; one son, Griff; three daughters, Anne, Gwen, and Betsy; and five grandchildren, Matthew, Meghan, Zachary, Sarah, and Nathan. A memorial service will be held at Stone Presbyterian Church at 10am on Friday, March 19, 2010. The family invite all to a reception in the Norton Room following the service. Arrangements by Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service, Inc, Clinton. Donations may be made to the Kirkland Town Library or the Kirkland Bird Club.