Ray Franzen

Ray Franzen, 83 of Sidney, died Sunday morning, Oct. 12, 2014 at the Hospice of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Fri., Oct. 17, 2014 in the Weyerts Immanuel Luther Church east of Gurley, with Pastor Eric Alm officiating. Burial with military rites will follow in the Weyerts Cemetery.

Memorials have been established to the Weyerts Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Holechek Funeral Home in Sidney with the family present from 5 to 7 p.m.

You can view the online obituary and share condolences with the family at http://www.holechekfuneralhomes.com

Raymond Eugene Franzen, the son of Reinhart and Rosina (Stevens) Franzen was born Nov. 21, 1930 in Gothenburg. At four years old he moved with his family to a farm southeast of Gurley. He grew up in Cheyenne County where he attended District 17 country school before graduating from Gurley High School in 1948.

On Aug. 30, 1953 he was united in marriage to Carol Christofferson at the Grace Lutheran Church in Gurley. Shortly after, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Korea during the Korean conflict. He finished his service duty with a year in Hawaii. In 1956 he returned to the family farm, farming close to where he grew up.

The family moved to Ft. Collins in 1970 where he was a meter reader for Poudre Valley REA. Unable to get farming out of his system, he returned to farming, where in addition to farming, he made extra money welding for various places and worked as a certified government field inspector for the A.S.C.S. for over thirty years. He was still actively farming until health problems in July of this year prohibited him.

Ray was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Sidney Elk's Lodge #1894, the American Legion, the V.F.W., was a long member of Crossroads Co-op, and served on the Cheyenne County Veteran's Board.

Survivors include his wife Carol Franzen of Sidney; two sons: Duane and his wife Marie Franzen of Greeley and Tim and his wife Lori Franzen of Sidney; one brother Roger Franzen and wife Hanna of Sidney; one sister Roberta Sick of Lodgepole; 8 Grandchildren and 11 Great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Rodney and brother-in-law Ronald Sick.

Holechek Funeral Home and Cremations in Sidney is serving the Franzen family.