Franklin "Ray" Francis, of Kennewick, WA breathed his last breath on the morning of April 28, 2026.

Born in Albuquerque, NM on December 29, 1956, Ray was the third child of Dorothea Baca and Ray Freeman. His last name was his maternal grandmother's family name.

During his childhood, he spent several years at the now defunct St. Anthony's Home For Boys, an orphanage in Albuquerque. As a teenager, he learned and was employed in silversmithing and jewelry making, and he acted in various theatrical productions at his high school.

In 1975 Ray moved to Chicago, where he held a number of different jobs, including working in a steel plant, and for a moving company, as well as working for eight years in various departments at the FMC Corporation. While living in Chicago, he married and became a father, and then several years later he became a Christian—a decision, he openly shared with others, that helped him overcome his abuse of drugs and alcohol. This changed the course of his life.

Ray felt called to work in a ministerial capacity in the early 1980s beginning with leading Bible studies with incarcerated people at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. He served in this role for two years, during which he was asked to become the youth pastor at a church near Midway Airport, where his preaching was frequently interrupted by the loud planes taking off and landing nearby.

During the 80s he worked toward becoming a licensed minister while also working full-time at FMC. Later in the 80s he continued on to hold roles as youth pastor and as lead pastor for a few other churches in the Chicago area.

In 1988 Ray moved with his wife and two daughters to Las Cruces, NM where he became an ordained minister. He again held roles as associate pastor and lead pastor at several different churches in the area. During this time, he resumed ministry work with incarcerated people, served as a police chaplain, and began co-hosting a weekly call-in Christian radio talk show.

Radio then came to play a much larger role in Ray's life in the mid 1990s as the weekly talk show became a daily talk show. He also began hosting a weekly Christian music show. Not long after that, he was asked to produce his own weekly Christian rock show, which he named Reel to Real, because he recorded the show on a reel-to-reel player.

Though all Ray's radio work was initially done on a volunteer basis, the radio station (KOBE-AM) that had been broadcasting his shows offered him a job hosting their daily morning drive show, which he accepted. At this point he decided to further his education by attending New Mexico State University and studying journalism. While a student at NMSU, Ray was hired to be the manager of the student radio station KRUX-FM where he learned more about radio show engineering, advertising, and on-air programming.

In the late 90s Ray moved to Farmington, NM when he was hired to be the station manager for the non-commercial public radio station KSJE-FM-–a role he held until 2006. While in Farmington, he remarried, and also became certified as a personal trainer.

In 2006 Ray moved to Vancouver, WA and worked as a personal trainer, coach, and group exercise instructor for four years with Leisure Care, a company with senior living facilities around the country.

Due to his success in growing the company's fitness program, Leisure Care offered Ray a promotion to managing one of its facilities in Beaverton, OR and then later to managing a facility in Kennewick, WA. All told, Ray worked for Leisure Care for 10 years. During that time, his three youngest daughters were born. He then worked as a manager for several additional years for another senior living company in Kennewick.

In 2021 Ray began working as the store manager for Wisdom Books in Kennewick, a job he said was the most rewarding of all the many jobs he worked in his life. He worked there until his illness required him to retire in October of 2025.

In 2023 Ray began conducting services as lead pastor at Windsong Memory Care, in Kennewick. Those who facilitated services with him said he always offered heart-felt sermons, and that he had a great rapport with the seniors who lived there. He was also a beloved member of his church community.

Throughout his life, Ray visited and prayed with people in the hospital and in their homes when they were sick or struggling, offering support and encouragement when and where he could.

He played the guitar and wrote a number of songs. He also enjoyed gardening and shared the fruits and vegetables he grew with his community.

To the chagrin of his family members, Ray was absolutely incorrigible when it came to puns and Dad Jokes. He delighted in eliciting eye rolls, giggles, and cringey groans from his daughters at every possible opportunity.

Ray was preceded in death by his parents, as well as his brothers Thomas Francis, and John Francis.

He is survived by his five daughters Rebecca Francis, Elizabeth Smith, Sophianna Francis, Selah Francis, and Starleigh Francis, his sister Patrice Repka, and his brothers Michael Francis, and JJ Francis.

Ray is loved and will continue to be greatly missed.

Services have not yet been scheduled. Instead of sending flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Safe Harbor.