Walter “Butch” Franklin, 74, of Malvern passed away on Friday, December 4th at Paoli Hospital surrounded by family. The son of Walter D. Franklin & Dolores Franklin Shaw, Butch was born on July 3rd, 1946 in Philadelphia and grew up in Exton, PA. He was a 1964 graduate of B. Reed Henderson High School and worked for 35 years at the United States Postal Service in Malvern & Frazer, first as a clerk and for many years as a dedicated rural carrier. Following his retirement from the USPS in 2001, Butch worked for 10 years at Great Valley High School as a safety aide and softball coach. Always a competitor, Butch qualified for the Penn Relays with Henderson track & field in 1964 and was a star fast pitch softball player in West Chester during the 1970’s. An accomplished bowler out of Frazer Lanes in the 1980’s & 90’s, he rolled a perfect 300 game and held the single season high average at Frazer at the time of their closing. In the 90’s & 2000’s, Butch served as a coach and board member for Chester Valley Little League for well over a decade. Instructing and teaching countless young athletes on the way to winning seven District 27 softball championships, his time as a coach was capped by a run to the final four in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2001. Butch was inducted into the Chester Valley Little League Hall of Fame in 2017. Serving as the softball head coach at Great Valley High School in the 2000’s, his teams clinched 2 SCCL division titles, including a PA State playoff berth in 2005. However, Butch’s greatest role in life was as proud father and doting grandfather. He is survived by his children: Chris (Maria) of Exton, Kevin (Dorothy) of Lancaster, PA, Lizanne (Jim) of Malvern and Andrew of Malvern. The greatest joys of his life were his 9 grandchildren: Danielle, John, Emma, CJ, Rebecca, Samuel, Timothy, Peter and Emily. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Michael of Somers Point, NJ and his aunt, Rose Jones of Northfield, NJ. Butch was a humble, kind, funny, loving and patient man. He enjoyed the music of Frank Sinatra, watching old Western TV shows, playing golf with friends and visiting Valley Forge Casino. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to (LLS.org) in his name. Visitation will be held at Mauger-Givnish Funeral Home (24 Monument Ave, Malvern) on Saturday, December 12th at 9:00 AM, with a memorial service following immediately after. www.maugergivnish.com

Published in The Daily Local from Dec. 7 to Dec. 8, 2020.

*Note: Assumption he is buried in this cemetery with his parents. Confirmation or Correction Requested.