TERRELL, Texas — The community is mourning the loss of long-time Terrell Volunteer Fire Department Captain Frank “Franko” Horton, 59, who passed away yesterday, September 27, 2016, due to health-related issues.
TERRELL, Texas — The community is mourning the loss of long-time Terrell Volunteer Fire Department Captain Frank “Franko” Horton, 59, who passed away yesterday, September 27, 2016, due to health-related issues.
Franko answered the call to serve his community for 34 years as a firefighter and will be remembered as the hardest-working and most-dedicated member of the department, according to Terrell Volunteer Fire Department Chief Donald Lindsey.
“He was the most active fireman we ever had,” Lindsey told inForney.com. “Franko answered 90 percent or more of our calls.”
Nearly every dispatch for the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department was answered with “5605, received page” — Franko’s radio call number.
Franko joined the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department on June 1, 1982, according to Lindsey. In his dedication, he took his last call the day before his passing.
“Franko was just one of those go-to guys if you ever had an issue or needed help,” said Lindsey. “You couldn’t find a more honest guy.”
“‘Feo, Fuerte y Formal’ which were the words used to describe John Wayne upon his passing,” Kaufman County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie stated. “They mean ‘He was Ugly, strong and had dignity.’”
“I don't say these words very often because not many men rise to the level of John Wayne, at least in my eyes,” continued Howie. “Frank Horton or Franko as I called him was one such man.”
“I don't know about the ugly but he was strong and had great dignity,” stated Howie. “He also had a heart as big as Texas and made of solid Gold. He was my friend and fellow firefighter and I will miss him greatly.”
Franko will receive a full honors firefighter funeral service on Friday, September 30, 2016. Services will begin at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church at 403 North Catherine Street in Terrell, Texas, with interment to follow at Highland Memorial Gardens.
Visitation for family and friends will be held Thursday, September 29, 2016, at First Baptist Church from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
“My prayers are with Frank's family and his family at the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department,” said Howie. “Rest my brother, You are in God's hands as heaven celebrates your arrival.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Franko's name to the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department which is located at 200 South Frances Street in Terrell, Texas.
