Clara Rose (Simpson) Franklin

Clara Rose (Simpson) Franklin, age 88, of Maryville, was escorted home Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

Clara was a mother, wife and homemaker. Family meals and gatherings were her specialty and she was an artist at desserts. The kitchen was always the heart of her home. Meals, homework, reading, sewing and crafting projects all manifested at her kitchen table.

At age 14, she went to work in downtown Knoxville at the Woolworth lunch counter. She was a staunch advocate of a woman’s ability to do any job and a firm believer in equal rights. She married at 16 and embarked on the life of a career military wife when her husband Henry returned from his station in Germany.

Although her education ended at the eighth grade, she was a steadfast believer in the value of “getting an education.” She was room Mom for her children and grandchildren. Many Blount County children learned their ABC’s from puppets she made for kindergarten teachers through the years.

Clara was a longtime member of Broadway Baptist Church and had fond memories of working in the nursery and her Sunday school class.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy and William Simpson; sisters and brothers, Betty Lou (husband, John) Lamb; Nancy Cate; Troy (wife, Ersie) Simpson; Bill (wife, Bonnie) Simpson. She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Henry Franklin; daughters and children-in-law, Donna (husband, Alan) Davis; Anita (husband, Ronnie) Barbra; Rose McNabb; granddaughters, Ami Davis (partner, Travis Heldibridle) and Chelsea (husband, Daniel) Stancil; grandsons, Jon (wife, Jessie) Davis, Adam Barbra, and Mark (wife, Ava) Barbra; sister, Alma Ruth Baxter; great-grandchildren Andrew, Emma, and Hunter Barbra; and numerous nieces and nephews.

No viewing or receiving of friends will be observed. A commitment service will be held for family and friends at 1:00 pm, Sunday, September 26, in the Chapel at Sherwood Memorial Gardens with Pastor Bob Brown officiating. The family requests donations to your local no-kill animal shelter in lieu of flowers. The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the kind staff at Brookdale Sandy Springs Assisted Living and Amedisys Hospice care.