Michael Francis

ALASKA-Our beloved C. Michael Francis passed away on July 6, 2012, in Palmer, Alaska, while on a visit there with his brother, Randy Francis. Michael was born in Denver, Colorado, on June 17, 1942. On August 18, 1981, he married Kerry (McLees) Ramcke of Fort Collins, Colorado (originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming), in the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. They lived in Fort Collins until September 1991 when they began the first of several moves to other states due to work transfers, and settling outside of Pocatello, Idaho, in August 2005 upon his retirement. Michael worked many years for various trucking companies beginning in the early 1970's as both an over-the-road and local truck driver, stationed out of the Denver area until he began his USDA-Forest Service career in 1992 in Vernal, Utah. He held positions with the USDA-Forest Service with duties both in the office and the field, the last of which was a Forestry Technician doing compliance work in the national forest to assist Forest Law Enforcement Officers, selling various special use permits, etc. He was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves for six years and was a dedicated patriot to the United States of America throughout his life. He was a highly skilled horseman and had a sincere love for his registered Quarter horses, and also worked as a race horse trainer in the late 1970's. He definitely had an eye for quality Quarter horses. Michael was a devoted husband, father, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather who enjoyed being with his family. He had a love for family history work for his ancestors and spent many hours of work on this. He was an excellent listener, counselor, and teacher to his family and friends. He was a good man who valued hard work all his life. One of his greatest personal attributes was his desire to serve others and to always lend a hand to them no matter what other activities he was engaged in during his life. He was a dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and regularly attended temples in the various states where he has lived. Michael is survived by his wife, Kerry of Pocatello, Idaho; sister Dalene Myrtle of Walsenburg, Colorado; sister Barbara (Greg) Mosier of Tallahassee, Florida; sister Janice in Colorado; son Kenn Francis of Scottsdale, Arizona; step-son Scott Ramcke of Racine, Wisconsin; step-son David Ramcke of Independence, Missouri; son Tom Nicholson of Phoenix, Arizona; daughter Heidi (Larry) Erickson of Canton, Mississippi; step-daughter Kristin Nathan of Reno, Nevada; step-son Jason Ramcke of Denver, Colorado; and Gwen (Scott) Wright of Rockland, Idaho. Michael has 16 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by daughter Wendy Francis, brother Paul Francis, sister Daline Francis, and youngest brother, Randy Francis. A Funeral Service will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Pocatello West Stake Building, 3444 Hawthorne Road, in Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday, July 14, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. A Viewing will be held on Friday, July 13, 2012, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Colonial Funeral Home, 2005 South 4th Avenue in Pocatello (208-233-1500). There will be a live stream of the people who attend the Friday evening Viewing for family and friends who cannot attend, it will be on the Colonial Funeral Home's website at www.ColonialFuneralHome.com." An additional Viewing will be held from 10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, 2012 at the Pocatello West Stake Building. Internment will be on Saturday, July 14, 2012, at the Falls View Cemetery on Cemetery Road in American Falls, Idaho, following the funeral service. A luncheon will be served at the Stake Building following the internment for all those who wish to attend. var so = new SWFObject("http://funeralrecording.com/_swf/jwplayer.swf","mpl","607","386","9"); so.addVariable('bufferlength','30'); so.addVariable("plugins", "gapro-1"); so.addVariable("gapro.accountid","UA-2599882-1"); so.addParam("allowscriptaccess","always"); so.addParam("allowfullscreen","true"); so.addParam('flashvars','&file=20120712_141315640_MichaelFrancis.flv&streamer=rtmp://webcastonline.com/videorecorder'); so.write("player");