Gordon Robert Franke, Ph.D., aged 91, passed away on February 8, 2024. Born on November 14, 1932, to George B. and Esther Franke in Scobey, Montana, he was the first of eight siblings. They settled on a farm near Williston, North Dakota in 1940. Gordon completed his eighth-grade education in a rural one room schoolhouse, after which he dedicated himself to working the farm full time with his family. Despite farm responsibilities, he found time to read the family encyclopedia cover to cover, quoting from it throughout his life. Recognizing Gordon s intelligence, his father encouraged him to build a chemistry laboratory on the farm.
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Wayne Thomas Whitworth was born on July 16, 1948 in Fredericksburg, Texas to parents Thomas Whitworth and Cleora Miller. He passed away at his home in Plato, Mo., on Feb. 2, 2024. He was 75 years, six months and 17 days of age.