Keith Alan Franks, 72, of Pineland, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 5, 2026. His life will be celebrated at First Methodist Church of Pineland on Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m. The service will be officiated by Reverend Alberto Williams. Music will be provided by Jan and Stephen Pate. As the reality of meeting the end of his life became clear, Keith cared only about the salvation of his family and friends. He said, “I want all my family to go to heaven. I want all my friends to go to heaven.” This might make heaven crowded as Keith grew up in a generation where dozens of cousins were the norm, and he made friends everywhere he went.

Keith graduated from West Sabine High School in 1972. His class voted him Best All Around. He served as the Class President his freshmen and junior years and Class Vice President his sophomore and senior years. Keith was active in Future Farmers of America throughout high school. He was FFA Reporter as a sophomore and FFA President his senior year. He earned the Lone Star Farmer Degree, the highest honor given by the Texas Association of Future Farmers of America in 1971. Keith played basketball, baseball, and football. He was the All District Defensive End his senior year and had a batting average over .400. He went on to play baseball at Angelina College on scholarship for a year.

Keith returned to Pineland and was elected to three terms on the Pineland City Council. He also served as a volunteer with the Pineland Fire Department and co-owned a car wash in Pineland for many years.

In high school Keith and his brothers worked for Temple Industries. He went on to work as a measurement technician for United Gas Pipeline Company at Magasco Compressor Station in Pineland in 1978 and later transferred with United Gas to Jackson, Mississippi for a couple of years. He stayed on with them through the mid-nineties and lived in Hallsville and Carthage.

At the end of his career, Keith’s love of cars and people led him to work in Jasper in car sales at Kinnear Motors and Allison Chevrolet.

Keith and his high school sweetheart, Kim Pate, were the WSHS Cutest Couple in 1971 and 1972. They have three children, Christopher “Zip” Franks, Holly Franks Boffy, and Karla Franks Garczynski.

Keith is survived by his son, Zip, daughter Holly and her husband Carrick Boffy, and daughter Karla and her husband John Garczynski; four grandchildren Pierce and Claire Boffy and Beaux and Paxton Garczynski; brother Kenneth and brother Kyle and his wife Victoria; sister Karen and her husband Keith Lane, and sister Kim Ann and her husband Butch Dean; nephew Ryan Malone; and nieces Brandy Runnels and Jordan Coffman.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents Thomas Kenneth “K.T.” and Iva Jean Powell Franks, niece Mallory Grace Franks, and grandparents Thomas Smith and Florence Augustus Echols Franks of Stockman, Texas, and Henry Jackson “Brink” and Nellie Leona Bell Powell, and step-grandmother Hallie Bell Powell.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to First Methodist Church of Pineland, P.O. Box 208, Pineland, Texas 75968.