Obituary of Charles Francis

Francis, Charles E., 85, retired Watchmaker and American Airlines employee died Saturday, December 2, 2006. Charles was born to Harry Irwin, Sr. and Rose Wilma Francis near the gravel pits around Saline, Oklahoma in a tent on September 24, 1921. He was a veteran of the World War II having served in both the European and the North African theatres. He earned an associate degree in Horology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford in 1947 which launched his lifelong career as a watchmaker in Tulsa ultimately opening The Jewel Box at 38th and South Peoria, which he operated for several years in the 1950's. In the early 1960's he owned and operated a watch repair store in the lobby of the Enterprise building at 6th and Boston and then subsequently maintained a watch repair bench in Betty's Fine Jewels located in the corner venue of the same building. In 1966 he went to work for American Airlines at a time when the airline was hiring watchmakers for flight instrument specialists. He retired from American Airlines in 1984. Even during his tenure at A.A. and then in the years following his retirement he maintained a watch-making bench at home working on both watches and clocks. His greatest joy was to repair antique clocks and older watches, at times fashioning out-of-production parts with a metal lathe--he was truly a master craftsman. On March 21, 1947 he married Ada Mae Crawford at Second Presbyterian Church in Tulsa. They were married 58 years until Ada Mae's death in January of this year. Both Charles and Ada Mae were longtime members of Southminster Presbyterian Church, where Charles was a deacon and an usher. He was also a 32 Degree Mason and past-master of the former Brookside Lodge. Charles was preceded in death by his wife, Ada Mae; four sisters, Marcet, Imogene, Daphne, and Bobbie; four brothers, Harry, Jr., Spike, Jack and G.W. He is survived by a daughter, Julia A. Francis of Oklahoma City; his son Jeffrey C. Francis and his wife Martha, their children, his grandchildren, Morgan H. Francis and his wife Bethany, Megan E. Francis, and Patrick A. Sloan and his wife Jennifer and their child, a great-grandchild, Nathan. Services will be held Wednesday. December 6 at 10:00 a.m. at Ninde Woodland Chapel with burial following at Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be made to AutumnBridge Hospice, OKC, OK. Services are under the direction of Ninde Funeral Directors.