Mar 15, 2021
Andrew Jay Franklin, age 69, of Northfield, MN, died Tuesday, March 9, 2021. He lived a life of insatiable curiosity and grand adventure. He studied art at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, taught physics in Togo during his time in the Peace Corps, built a cabin by his own hand in the Minnesota north woods, was a renowned science educator for over 40 years and was the most engaged, loving, hands-on father the world has ever seen.
Andy was born in Columbus, Ohio on September 14, 1951, the son of Ralph and Shirley (Williams) Franklin. The family moved to Trenton, Michigan where he attended junior high and later moved to Dickinson, Texas where he graduated from high school in 1969. Andy studied for one year at the University of Texas before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. There he received his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Fine Arts and later a Masters in Science Education. He was united in marriage to Gabriele (Faltinsky) So