John Franklin Ditterline

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[John Franklin Ditterline, 68, passed away at 4:20 a.m. Thursday, June 11, 2009, Harrisburg Medical Center after two weeks at Deaconess Hospital with complications from surgery. Three of his children, John, Paula and Christy cared for him during that time, with the help of a very special friend, Bertha, and sister, Sharon.

Franklin was born Nov. 24, 1940, in Tulu, Ky., to the late John and Nina Ditterline.

Franklin's roots were in Southern Illinois and he loved the area. He was a very active, hard-working man and always busy. Any one that knew Franklin knew he was "full of life, loved life and lived life" to its fullest. He had two sides -- the fun-loving life of the party Frank and the dad Frank.

He is survived by three children, John D. (Tina) Ditterline, Paula (Dennis) Thaxton and Belinda Ditterline. He raised four other children from the age of 3, 6, 8 and 9, Christy (Ronnie) Hughes, Jeanette (Calvin) Stone, Sandra (Brett) Gidcumb and Kathy (Jack) Ferrell. He was a wonderful dad and we all thought he was 'way too cheerful when he got us up for school.

He is also survived by grandchildren, Chad, Kesha, Jayden and Justin Ditterline; stepgrandchildren, Nicole and Jaraka Bryant, Cory and Adrienne Stone, Tim and Krystal Gidcumb and Jason and Jada Ferrell; great-grandchildren, Lydia Bates and Bayden Ditterline; many great-stepgrandchildren; and a very special companion, Bertha Cozart.

A memorial dinner will be held 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 14, 2009, at Paula Thaxton's home located at 809 W. Pine St., Harrisburg. There will be no funeral service due to Franklin's request. Arrangements are in the charge of Gaskins-Jones Funeral Home.

Our dad will be sadly missed and thought of often by those whose lives he touched and by all of us who love him.