De Richard Franco died on September 29, 2022, in Pensacola, Florida. He was born April 12, 1967, in Fort Ord, California the son of Richard Mac Franco and Sandra Lynn Stob nee Thompson. He was a devoted father, son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband and above all, friend. He loved his family, God, and his country.

In his youth, he spent several years on his paternal grandfather's Montana ranch, where he had many adventures, and with his Aunt Renee, he learned about cattle ranching, haying, and farming wheat.

As a young man, he served in the United States Marine Corp, achieving the rank of Corporal. He was assigned to duties in both Fleet Marine Force Europe and Fleet Marine Force Pacific 1986 – 1990, during which time he was assigned to operations in Okinawa, Bosnia, Africa, South America, Iraq, and Afghanistan as a member of a US Embassy inspection team and protective security force. De returned to active duty in 1991 for Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Among De's awards and decorations, he received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon. De also earned the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge.

While still in the Marine Corps, De had the opportunity to appear in a McDonald's commercial that first aired during the 1988 Super Bowl. Later, when he lived in Los Angeles, he was cast as an extra in many movies. Auditioning was a hobby he thoroughly enjoyed.

De is a graduate of Grand Valley State University (2001) in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he earned a BS in Psychology.

After college, he went on to be a career administrator, manager, and auditor having worked in the food and hospitality industry for many years. Most recently, De was a field auditor for Circle K stores covering central Florida to central Alabama and Mississippi. He joined Circle K in 2013 and enjoyed his career until his battle with cancer forced his withdrawal from the field.

De was an avid fan of the Pittsburg Steelers and looked forward to every season. He loved all things tech and stayed abreast of the latest developments and gadgets. His talents included the ability to mimic almost any accent he heard and could readily do fantastic British and Australian accents! De loved to make people laugh and had the warmest hugs. If he cooked for you, you knew he loved you! His signature lasagna was his favorite to make and reserved for those he loved.

De was a fan of role-playing games and literature as well; the friendships he developed with his fellow players in both Michigan and Florida were very special to him. He loved to read and had a book in progress at all times with special interests in US History, Egyptology and science. De also kept up with the decisions of the US Supreme Court and could ably discuss the impact of those decisions on US society. He enjoyed travel and most recently made trips to Key West, Yellowstone National Park, New Orleans, Nashville, and South Dakota. Until his illness, De and Katie enjoyed supporting and participating with Winterfest of Pensacola and with Veterans Memorial Park events.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Nutan Vaz MD and Cheryl Johnson RN of the Veterans Administration Clinic, Pensacola, the Oncology Center at Sacred Heart Hospital, Pensacola, and the nurses and staff at Covenant Hospice of Pensacola, for their kindness and compassion. We also wish to thank all the friends and neighbors who provided care and support to the Franco household during De's 2-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.

De is survived by the love of his life and wife, Katie Franco nee Copson, of Pensacola, Florida and his beloved sons Brayden Franco, Patrick Franco and Sandy Franco of Olympia, Washington. He is also survived by his niece Katrina Franco, niece and nephew Lacey and Cooper Goshorn, stepfather Darwin Halstead, stepbrothers Chris and Matt Stob, cousins Desiree, Brandon, and Josh, Aunt Renee and Uncle Ken Macer, Uncle Vincent Gutierrez, and his Grandpa Bill Thompson.

He was immensely proud of his sons. His greatest joy was being a father; being an uncle to Katrina and Brannon Franco, and to Lacey and Cooper Goshorn was a close second. De was always ready to be silly and playful. His favorite was when they would all jump on him and challenge his strength (and patience!) He was warm, encouraging, enthusiastic, and genuinely loving.

De was preceded in death by his father, Richard Franco, and his mother, Sandra Stob.

The family will host a Celebration of Life at McGuires Irish Pub 600 E Gregory St, Pensacola, FL 32502 Pensacola, FL on Saturday, November 5, 2022 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm . The inurnment will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 9:30am at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of the following organizations:

Covenant Care https://www.choosecovenant.org/donate-now/

Marine Corps League https://www.marinecorpsleaguepensacola.org/donate or via mail at P.O. Box 3491, Milton, FL 32572

Toys for Tots https://pensacola-fl.toysfortots.org

American Cancer Society www.cancer.org