Anton Franke

Anton Franke, 99, died in Canton, MA, December 24, 2019. 

Anton came to the U.S. after WWII to join his wife, Pauline (née Kumin), whom he met before the war on a cycling trip in England and married in his native Netherlands after the war.  Anton trained with Philips in the Netherlands as an engineer specializing in lighting.  In Massachusetts, he found a job with Sylvania, doing, as he put it, “exactly the same work” that he had been doing for Philips.  Anton’s work for Sylvania included trouble-shooting projects in the U.S. (at Cape Canaveral, among other locations) as well as internationally, and garnered him two patent awards.  

Anton and Pauline lived for many years in Danvers, MA where they attended the Unitarian Fellowship and were active in a local recorder group.  Long a talented photographer, Anton increasingly began to devote his time to art in a variety of media, a practice he continued in retirement, when he and Pauline moved to Orchard Cove in Canton, MA. 

After Pauline’s death in 1998, Anton pursued interests in art and computing.  He also travelled, returning several times to the Netherlands to visit family and explore the country.  With Marion Lappin, Anton developed a companionship that lasted more than ten years until Marion’s death at age 101 in 2014. 

Anton is survived by siblings Jan Franke and his wife Nel, (Soest, Netherlands), and Margriet Van der Werf and her husband Age, (Doorn, Netherlands).  Cherished uncle of David Randall and his wife Beti (Saskatchewan, Canada); Steven Kumin and his wife Barbara (Maine); Evalyn Lawnsby and her husband Tom; Enid Kumin; Susan Kumin; and Cynthia Kumin and her husband Joel Gillenwaters (all of Massachusetts).  Beloved great uncle of Sara, Jason, Becki, Chris, Mike, Stefanie, Sarah, and Jackson.  Proud great-great uncle of twelve.  Dear adopted uncle of Ed Fremder and Linda Corwin, Laura Corwin, Mark and Joan Lappin, Fred and Sue Lappin, and Richard Lappin and Julia Rabkin.

A virtual Celebration of Anton’s Life will be held on September 26, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. (Daylight Savings Time, Boston, MA).  Relatives and friends are invited to attend.  You may request a link to the virtual celebration by providing your e-mail address in the online condolences section of this obituary (the Tribute Wall).  For online condolences, please visit www.HamelLydon.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Orchard Cove Scholarship Committee, Orchard Cove, One Del Pond Drive, Canton, MA 02021 USA.