Charles J. Francisco
New Times
October 23, 2019
Charles J. Francisco, 92, of Richmond, Va., formerly of Bethel, died at his home after a short illness on October 19, 2019. Mr. Francisco was born in East St. Louis, Ill. on October 23, 1926, to the late Leroy and Nellie Mae (Williams) Francisco. He is survived by his daughter, Norma (Jeffrey) Wine of Maplewood, N.J.; his son, Rory (Kristin) Francisco of Richmond, Va.; four grandsons, Dylan Wine of Hackensack, N.J., Riley Wine of Denton, Tex., Charles T. Francisco of Richmond, Va., and Gilbert Francisco of Richmond, Va; his brother, Rev. Robert (Euna) Francisco of Mattoon, Ill., his former wife of 26 years, Suzanne McDonald of Dublin, Ga; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, William Leroy Francisco of Urbana, Ill.; and sisters, Norma Campbell of New Jersey and Dorothy Francisco of Urbana, Ill. Mr. Francisco was an alumnus of the University of Illinois and a U.S. Army veteran. He received a Bronze Star for his service in the Korean War. Mr. Francisco was also an accomplished stage, film, and television actor from 1944 through 1967, performing in numerous plays with the Illini Theatre Guild in Champaign-Urbana, summer theatres throughout the U.S.A., and in over a dozen television shows including Gunsmoke and Death Valley Days. He later moved to New York City and worked as News Director and radio host for WPAT-FM, followed by a career as a published author in the 1980s and 1990s. Mr. Francisco also had a great affinity for Ireland and his Irish heritage, traveling to Ireland over 25 times from 1969 to 2018 to visit his many dear friends there. Funeral services and burial will be held on his 93rd birthday, October 23, 2019 at the Virginia Veterans' Cemetery in Amelia, Va. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mr. Francisco's memory to the National Military Family Association, 2800 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 250, Alexandria, VA 22314.
FRANCISCO, Charles (Charles J. Francisco)
Born: 10/23/1927, East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.A.
Died: 10/19/2019, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
Charles Francisco’s westerns – actor:
Death Valley Days (TV) – 1965 (Strigger, John Druber)
The Loner (TV) – 1965 (Paine)
Gunsmoke (TV) – 1966 (Kale)