Delores (Williams) Frankum-Gentry, age 93 and formerly of Monroe City, passed away June 30, 2018 at GentleCare Nursing Center. Delores was born in Knox County on April 13, 1925, the daughter of Chester and Emma (Beaman) Williams. She was raised on the family farm during the depression and helped care for an ill mother at the young age of 10. She married Cecil Glen Frankum on May 23, 1943, and he preceded her in death on July 18, 1989. She then married a family friend on Nov. 2, 1990, Duard Duane Gentry, who preceded her in death after three years of marriage in October 1993. Delores enjoyed many years of residing in Florida during the winter months and she shared a special friendship for ten years with Orin Queen of Dayton, Ohio before his death in 2005. She was no stranger to heartbreak, losing her 16 year old son, Roger Lee Frankum, in a tragic automobile accident on December 21, 1962, and her eldest son, Larry Glen on April 20, 2001, to complications from a stroke just before his 57th birthday. She was also preceded in death by a brother, the Reverend Herschel A. Williams.
Delores is survived by her daughter, Glenda Darlene (Frankum) Small and husband, Joe of Vincennes, two grandsons, Brent Joseph and wife Kim (Anderson) Small of Louisville, KY and Brandon Roger and wife Jessica (Brewington) Small of Monroe City, and two granddaughters, Kimberly (Frankum) Burck of Warren, MI and Tammie (Frankum) and husband Mike Oliver of Evansville. “Little Great”, as she was referred to by her grandchildren, had a total of 15 great grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren and has one nephew and two nieces, Gary Gene and wife Kate Williams of Petersburg, Linda Mae and husband Bill Drotoz of Niles, MI and Vickie Marie and husband Rex Chattin of Oaktown. She has five great nephews and four great nieces and one deceased great nephew.
Delores was raised in the Wilson Creek Baptist Church and baptized in the White River at age 25 as a mother of three. She later became active in the Monroe City Cumberland Presbyterian Church where she served as song leader for services, a Sunday school teacher and organizer of many church suppers and fund raising events including a week long food tent at the Knox County Fair for several years. She later began attending the First Church of God in Vincennes. Her steadfast faith was a sustaining grace for the many trials of life. Delores was also a 50-year member of the order of Eastern Star of Monroe City and she loved dancing. She and Cecil took dancing lessons during their retirement years in Florida in ‘ballroom’, ‘square dancing’, ‘western round’ and ‘line dance’. She worked alongside her husband in Cecil Frankum Trucking, providing long distance hauling of fruit, watermelon and potatoes, as well as other commodities at various times. For a number of years they both worked for Dal-Don Produce in the buying and shipping of watermelons from Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Indiana. Delores was blessed with 93+ years as a reward for serving others and honoring her parents as commanded in scripture. A life of many joys laced with great moments of sorrow now is now past and we can rest in the fact that she is home at last.
Funeral services will be at 2:30 P.M. EST on Thursday, July 5 at First Church of God, 1408 E. St. Clair Street, Vincennes, IN. Delores will be laid to rest at the Wheatland Cemetery beside her lifelong husband and two sons. Visitation for Delores Frankum-Gentry will begin at 1:00 P.M. EST until the hour of services on Thursday at the church. Online condolences may be sent to Delores’ family and friends at www.goodwinfamilyfh.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Church of God.