Fred Franklin

Fred FRANKLIN

August 6, 1921 - September 19, 2016

Fred was born in Bochum, West Germany. He described a "normal, happy childhood" in a rural setting. When he was 16, Hitler came to power and his family sent him to boarding school in England, since his mother was Jewish. After leaving school in 1939, he stayed in England doing war work in a factory in Birmingham. A few years later, Fred and his friend Neville came to Canada by working in the engine room of the Princess Mary. They arrived in Newfoundland and hitchhiked across the country, ending up in British Columbia. Fred lived in Vancouver for about three years, working on the boats that carried supplies to communities up and down the B.C. coast. He then came to Toronto, recruited by a British firm A.V. Row as an engineer to work on the Avro Arrow. In Toronto he met another German refugee, Ursula Martius, over a shared interest in music and social activism. They married in May 1952. His sister Carola (Lola) and his parents, as well as Ursula's parents were able to join them in Toronto.

Ursula and Fred Franklin were partners in each other's lives. His report writing benefitted from her editorial hand and clear thinking and her endeavours were the better for his insight and compassion. Ursula worked full time (first at the Ontario Research Foundation and then as a professor in the Department of Engineering at the University of Toronto) which allowed Fred to became an active and full-time volunteer. He worked with the Quakers, particularly focussing on prisoners and refugees, especially those in detention. He had an ability to connect to people and to believe in the best in everyone. He made friends easily because he was genuinely interested, caring and concerned about the person in front of him - whether a detainee, a guard, an official, an academic, a refugee, a caregiver, a fellow committee member or resident of the retirement home. He was a tinkerer - always trying to "improve" things with tape, a few screws, an extension cord or a fluorescent light a.k.a. "Fredifications". He was a great music enthusiast and a talented amateur musician - he played cello and recorders. In the early 1960s he ran a small home business out of the basement and garage - Franklin Instruments - building Orff instruments he sold to schools. Fred and Ursula were strengthened and guided by their Quaker faith. They believed each person has the ability and responsibility to take part in building a society that is just, equitable and treats all (and especially the most vulnerable) fairly and compassionately. He died quite suddenly, 8 weeks after Ursula. He leaves his two children, Monica and Martin, their spouses Raul Mejia and Carole Angus and his four grandsons - Alejandro, Camilo, Nicolas and Andre.

We appreciate the care provided by Christie Gardens, Fred and Ursula's home for the last 3 years. In lieu of flowers, donations can be directed to Toronto Monthly Meeting (Quakers), the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and The Toronto Consort.