Funeral planned for man whose body remains unclaimed

Donald E. Franklin lived alone and died alone, and since Oct. 28 his body has remained unclaimed at the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office.

His parents, son and lone sibling are dead, and though forensic investigators have located several distant relatives, only a few people appear to have known Franklin, including a pastor who left groceries on his porch two days before he was found dead of natural causes in his home in the 5500 block of N. 39th St.

"When I came back squirrels were in the food," said Pastor Michael C. Champion of New Creatures in Christ Outreach Ministry and Fellowship Church.

"I said, 'Let's call the police.'"

Now Champion and another pastor are ready to provide a proper funeral for Franklin, 64, whom Champion credits with saving him from a life that had been riddled with drugs and alcohol, and who was gradually swallowed up by depression as his family began to die off.

Medical examiner’s officials hope that public attention might help them locate a close living relative of Franklin.

But if those efforts prove unsuccessful, Champion and Pastor Nathaniel Johnson Jr. of Unity Missionary Baptist Church are ready to step up.

"When I was strung out, Donnie would literally pick me up, feed me and take care of me," Champion recalled.

"So now we're prepared to take care of him."

Through exhaustive online searches and other information gleaned by forensic investigators with the medical examiner's office, this is what is known about Franklin and his family.

He was born Donald Edward Franklin May 18, 1952, to parents Elizabeth and Oscar Franklin, and was the younger brother of Thomas Harry Franklin.

His parents operated a tavern called Butch’s Tap, last located at 2501 W. Hadley St., from at least the 1950s until about the mid-1980s.

His father, Oscar Franklin, was born in Arkansas Aug. 8, 1905, worked as a swing grinder in the steel industry and died in April 1990.

His mother, Elizabeth Franklin, was born May 14, 1914, and died Aug. 26, 1997.

His son, David Edward Franklin was 17 years old when he was shot to death in 2005.

His brother Thomas attended West Division High School and Milwaukee Area Technical College, worked for Pick ‘n Save and Evinrude Motors, and co-managed their parents’ business. He died in 2013.

Donald Franklin grew up in Milwaukee and attended Peckham Junior High School, where he met Champion and Johnson, and the three went on to attend Washington High School, Johnson said.

“His father was one of the first black business people to move his business to the area of 25th and Hadley,” said Johnson, adding that Donald Franklin also helped his parents run the tavern.

For a time Franklin also designed costumes for a singing group called, "The Bennetts," which Champion said consisted of himself and his five brothers.

"He also wrote songs for us," Champion said.

Franklin was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1985 and served as an associate minister at Unity Missionary until about 1990, two years after a relationship led to the birth of his son, and the year his father died, according to Johnson and Champion.

After his father died, Franklin suffered a nervous breakdown from which he never really recovered, Champion recalled.

But before that, he managed to pull Champion from a life that was spinning out of control.

"He saved me," Champion said.

Franklin then lived with his mother and brother in the family home on 39th St., into which he seemed to withdraw further and further with each family loss.

“Loneliness didn’t seem to bother him,” Johnson said.

“He was friendly, but as far as being close, he never let anybody out of his inner circle into his life.”

With his inheritance from his parents dwindling, the past several years Franklin grew increasingly destitute, said Champion, who paid Franklin's cellphone bill for the past two years and brought groceries to him from the food pantry at New Creatures in Christ.

"He'd never let us in the house," said Champion, one of the last people to see Franklin alive.

"We always stayed on the porch."

According to Johnson and a medical examiner’s report:

Champion saw Franklin in mid-October and talked with him on the phone five days before he was found dead.

After Champion saw that the box of groceries he left on Franklin’s porch was still there two days later and that mail had accumulated, police were contacted to do a welfare check.

When officers forced entry to Franklin’s home they found him dead in an upstairs bedroom of the home, which had no working electricity, and newspapers taped to the ceiling and windows.

“Miscellaneous cards and pieces of mail were noted, most 10-plus years old,” the report stated, adding that no medications were found and there was no evidence of alcohol or illicit drug use.

Although Franklin seemed to have no inclination toward others, it is now others who will decide the disposition of his estate.

"If someone does not communicate their final wishes, state law will determine who gets to make that decision for you, and the state will also determine the division of your assets," said Karen Domagalski, operations manager at the medical examiner's office.

If a search for a next of kin is unsuccessful, the body of the deceased is referred to Milwaukee County for burial, Domagalski said.

“No service is performed, and the grave is unmarked,” she said.

Champion and Johnson, however, are prepared to provide Franklin with a funeral at Unity Missionary, where Franklin once showed up for services in early spring after years of absence.

“He was well-connected with God. He still believed that God is his creator. He never lost or wavered on that faith,” Johnson said.

“We came through life together,” he added.

“It’s the Christian thing to do.”