Obituary of Franklin Howard Nine

Franklin Howard Nine was born on the longest day of the year, June 21, 1948 in Oroville California to Mary Belle and B.C. Nine. He was the youngest of the family and had a sister named Edna, a brother, Jerry, and a half-sister, Nova. He is the longest living member of his immediate family. He grew up in Oroville, going to Las Plumas high school. Some of his hobbies in his adolescence were joining the school choir and riding motorcycles, while mingling with his fellow classmates. His love for automobiles began in his teen years. They came in handy when he got his first job helping upholster the seats of cars. He continued to appreciate cars throughout his life and spent many hours building model cars. He was so detailed that he even cut pinstripes out of material for seats and lined each piece up with tweezers. Anytime a friend, or even a stranger, needed help with something mechanical he would offer his help. Frank didn’t attend college. Instead he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He dedicated over 20 years of his life to serving his country. His time in the USAF took him around the country and across the globe. He balanced trying to take care of his family along with his service. This is what brought him back to California, as his mother had fallen ill. He wanted to be here to take care of her. Frank married his first wife, Velma Crabtree, in 1971. They had two daughters, Sandra and Sherri. As a family, Frank’s military service took them many places and created lasting memories. After retiring from the United States Air Force, Frank continued in the automotive field. His speciality became smog technician. He worked hard every day until a battle with Cancer changed his way of life and eventually took his left leg. Even though Frank was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his days, he did not let this stop him. Shortly after the loss of his leg, he lost the love of his life of 31 years. A few years later he was blessed with love a second time and married Linda Bonham. They had a happy 7 years together before she too went to heaven. Frank had a strong relationship with God and leaned heavily on it and his church family during all of these changes to his life. He didn’t give up. He would tell everyone he knew that he knew where he was going and that he would see those he loved when he got there. Frank was active in his church and also with a local Classic Car group called the Cappuccino Cruisers. He would volunteer as much as he could in both of these places. Even though he did not have a classic car himself, he was so active with their group that they adopted him into the club. That meant so much to Frank. At church he attended several Bible Studies, a life group, Sunday morning service, and Sunday evening chapel. Even in the hospital he would ask the nurses to help him log into the online services so he could “be there”. Anyone who met Frank would describe him as easy to give a smile and say “hi”, his extraordinary patience, and his kind generosity to friends and strangers alike. He made friends easily in his neighborhood by genuinely caring about those around him. Frank’s health took a major decline starting in August 2021. He left us on December 30, 2021 to join his loved ones in Heaven. He spent his last days asking for prayer for healing. Eventually, he explained that God had more than one way to heal our human bodies. He knew he was going home to be with God and was asking others to be as at peace with it as he was. Frank is survived by his daughters, Sandra Nine-Jones and Sherri Nine, His three grandchildren, Matthew Rife, Cicely and Wilson Jones, and his cat, Zeek.