Franklin Stoneburner (77) of Beecher City

Franklin Leslie Stoneburner, 77, of Beecher City, died at 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.

Franklin was born on Wednesday, October 30, 1946 in Shelbyville, Illinois, the oldest of 5 sons to Albert Leslie and Edith Evelyn (Witt) Stoneburner. He graduated from Beecher City High School in 1964. He attended Greenville College and later Ann Arbor, MI where he participated in Track and Field (Cross Country) at both, until he was inducted into the United States Army in 1967, where he was honorably discharged in 1969 at the rank of Sergeant E-5, serving with Co. F 51st Infantry Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) Airborne as a radio operator in Vietnam. Life expectancy of a radio operator in Vietnam was five to six seconds all the way up to a slightly more optimistic thirty seconds. He was in Vietnam for 11 months and 27 days. While in the Army he earned the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Purple Heart Medal.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 27, 2023 at Gieseking Funeral Home, Altamont with Don Miller officiating. Burial will follow at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Beecher City, IL with military rites by Gieseking-Schwerdtfeger VFW Post #7676 and Grobengieser-Fischer American Legion Post #512. Family requests casual attire. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the First State Bank of Beecher City or to Gieseking Funeral Home to be used for a memorial scholarship for the Cowden Herrick Beecher City Bobcats Track and Field (Cross Country) or a student enrolled in a trade school.

Franklin always said he was a jack of all trades, master of none. However, he was a very skilled cement layer, finisher and carpenter. He was employed for several years as a security guard, where he was contracted to work, at Fedders in Effingham and also helped area farmers throughout his lifetime. His hobbies included ginseng hunting, fishing, and spending time with family and friends telling stories and jokes.

Frank is survived by his daughter, Marnie (Mark) Webb, Effingham; two step-grandchildren, one step-great grandson, brothers, Wendell (Lois) Stoneburner and Larry Stoneburner of Beecher City, Allen Stoneburner of Effingham, and David Stoneburner (Angela) of Exira, Iowa; and a host of nieces and nephews that will miss him dearly.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents; son-in-law, Rodney Raber; sister-in-law, Jo Ann Stoneburner; and nephew, Joshua Stoneburner.

Online condolences may be expressed by clicking here.