Obituary of Gilbert Woodrow Francis GILBERT WOODROW FRANCIS Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - August 7, 1997 Gilbert W. Francis, 77, died Wednesday Aug. 6, 1997, at his home. A native of Boykins, Va., he was the son of the late A. Sidney Francis and Frances Sears Francis. He held degrees from Wake Forest College and the University of Virginia School of Law. He practiced law in his native town for 47 years with specialties in estate planning, land management and family law. He was active politically and as a civic leader. He cherished his community and its people. He was a member of the Boykins Baptist Church where he had served as deacon and chairman of the board of trustees. He helped organize and was a former president of Southampton County Historical Society, and also served as chairman of the board of trustees for Rawls Museum Arts Inc. He served on the board of advisors of Chowan College and Virginia Wesleyan College. He was a member of the Boykins Masonic Lodge (NU)287, A.F.&A.M. and the Newsoms Ruritan Club. He was a member of the Virginia Tax Study commission and the Southampton County Bar Association. He was proud to have served his country for four years during World War II as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He spent 2 1/2 years in the Pacific Theater where he commanded the sub chaser ship U.S.S. SC1318. His ship patrolled off Auckland, Guam, Fiji, the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. After the Japanese surrender, he led a flotilla of ships back to their home port of San Francisco. He will be well-remembered for his service to his town and country, and to his many friends, not a few of whom have benefited from his advice and aid. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Elizabeth Lincoln Francis; three sons and their wives, Gilbert W. Jr. and Bettie G. Francis of Cary, N.C., Richard L. and Inga E. Francis of Boykins, Jeffrey K. and Laurie W. Francis of Virginia Beach; his grandchildren, Elizabeth Grace Francis, Kersti Anna Francis, Wesley King Francis and Wills Gray Francis; two sisters, Deaton F. Faucette of Boykins and Natalie F. Colemam of Blackstone; and a brother, Everette S. and his wife, Jacqueline R. Francis of Richmond. A funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday in Boykins Baptist Church by the Rev. Ben Thomas, assisted by the Rev. Thomas Caulkins and Dr. Ira P. Hutchins. Burial will be held in Beechwood Cemetery, Boykins. Memorial donations may be made to Boykins Baptist Church, Rawls Museum Arts or Chowan College. The family will receive friends at the residence 27536 Meherrin Road, Boykins. Purviance Funeral Home, Boykins Chapel, is handling arrangements. Edition: FINAL Page: B8 Copyright (c) 1997 The Virginian-Pilot ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Gilbert W. Francis, 77, of Boykins, Virginia, died 6 Aug 1997. He was a longtime attorney and civic leader who practiced law in Boykins for 47 years and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. A funeral was held 8 Aug 1997 at Boykins Baptist Church, Boykins, officiated by Rev. Ben Thomas, Rev. Thomas Caulkins, and Dr. Ira P. Hutchins, with burial in Beechwood Cemetery, Boykins. ––– Transcript ––– GILBERT WOODROW FRANCIS Gilbert W. Francis, 77, died Wednesday 6 August 1997 at his home. A native of Boykins, Virginia, he was the son of the late A. Sidney Francis and Frances Sears Francis. He held degrees from Wake Forest College and the University of Virginia School of Law. He practiced law in his native town for 47 years with specialties in estate planning, land management, and family law. He was active politically and as a civic leader. He cherished his community and its people. He was a member of the Boykins Baptist Church where he had served as deacon and chairman of the board of trustees. He helped organize and was a former president of the Southampton County Historical Society, and also served as chairman of the board of trustees for Rawls Museum Arts Inc. He served on the board of advisors of Chowan College and Virginia Wesleyan College. He was a member of the Boykins Masonic Lodge No. 287, A.F. & A.M., and the Newsoms Ruritan Club. He was a member of the Virginia Tax Study Commission and the Southampton County Bar Association. He was proud to have served his country for four years during World War II as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He spent two and a half years in the Pacific Theater where he commanded the sub chaser ship U.S.S. SC1318. His ship patrolled off Auckland, Guam, Fiji, the New Hebrides, and New Caledonia. After the Japanese surrender, he led a flotilla of ships back to their home port of San Francisco. He will be well remembered for his service to his town and country, and to his many friends, not a few of whom have benefited from his advice and aid. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Elizabeth Lincoln Francis; three sons and their wives, Gilbert W. Jr. and Bettie G. Francis of Cary, North Carolina, Richard L. and Inga E. Francis of Boykins, Jeffrey K. and Laurie W. Francis of Virginia Beach; his grandchildren, Elizabeth Grace Francis, Kersti Anna Francis, Wesley King Francis, and Wills Gray Francis; two sisters, Deaton F. Faucette of Boykins and Natalie F. Coleman of Blackstone; and a brother, Everette S. and his wife, Jacqueline R. Francis of Richmond. A funeral was conducted at 11 a.m. Friday in Boykins Baptist Church by Rev. Ben Thomas, assisted by Rev. Thomas Caulkins and Dr. Ira P. Hutchins. Burial was held in Beechwood Cemetery, Boykins. Memorial donations may be made to Boykins Baptist Church, Rawls Museum Arts, or Chowan College. The family received friends at the residence, 27536 Meherrin Road, Boykins. Purviance Funeral Home, Boykins Chapel, handled the arrangements. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |---------------------------------------------| | Field | Value | | Name | Gilbert Woodrow Francis | | Age | 77 years | | Birth | 1920 (estimated); Boykins, Virginia | | Death | 6 August 1997; Boykins, Virginia | |---------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | | Gilbert Woodrow Francis | Decedent | Boykins, Virginia | | Elizabeth Lincoln Francis | Wife | Boykins, Virginia | | Gilbert W. Francis Jr. | Son | Cary, North Carolina | | Bettie G. Francis | Daughter-in-law | Cary, North Carolina | | Richard L. Francis | Son | Boykins, Virginia | | Inga E. Francis | Daughter-in-law | Boykins, Virginia | | Jeffrey K. Francis | Son | Virginia Beach, Virginia | | Laurie W. Francis | Daughter-in-law | Virginia Beach, Virginia | | Elizabeth Grace Francis | Grandchild | [Not stated] | | Kersti Anna Francis | Grandchild | [Not stated] | | Wesley King Francis | Grandchild | [Not stated] | | Wills Gray Francis | Grandchild | [Not stated] | | A. Sidney Francis | Father (deceased) | [Not stated] | | Frances Sears Francis | Mother (deceased) | [Not stated] | | Deaton F. Faucette | Sister | Boykins, Virginia | | Natalie F. Coleman | Sister | Blackstone, Virginia | | Everette S. Francis | Brother | Richmond, Virginia | | Jacqueline R. Francis | Sister-in-law | Richmond, Virginia | |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |--------------------------------| | Field | Value | | Location | Norfolk, Virginia | | Name | The Virginian-Pilot | | Date | 7 August 1997 | | Edition | Final | | Page | B8 | |--------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Practiced law in Boykins for 47 years. • Specialized in estate planning, land management, and family law. • Served as deacon and chairman of trustees at Boykins Baptist Church. • Former president of Southampton County Historical Society. • Chairman of board of trustees for Rawls Museum Arts Inc. • Served on advisory boards of Chowan College and Virginia Wesleyan College. • Member of Boykins Masonic Lodge No. 287, A.F. & A.M. • Member of Newsoms Ruritan Club. • Member of the Virginia Tax Study Commission. • Member of the Southampton County Bar Association. • Served four years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. • Commanded the U.S.S. SC1318 in the Pacific Theater. • Spouse's birth name was Elizabeth Lincoln. [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. Please verify critical information, as AI-generated content can include errors.] [This file is https://go-stp.com/BruceObituaries/ShowText.html?Francis, Gilbert Woodrow.txt]