Roland R. Franklin, 52, of the 900 block of Garfield Avenue, died June 14, 2005 in Obici Hospital. He was a native of Suffolk. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Allie Boone Franklin and a son, Roland Franklin Jr.; brothers, William &uot;Billy&uot; Franklin III, and Carlton Darnell Franklin and stepfather, John Elmo Sessoms.

He was a graduate of John Yeates High School and was a veteran of the Army National Guard. He retired from Planters Peanut Company after 26 years of service.

He was a member of St. Paul Baptist Church where he formerly served as a deacon and was a member of the Male Usher Board.

He had served as a scout leader in the Boston and Saratoga communities and was vice president of the Boston Civic League.

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne Brinkley Franklin; two daughters, Kinesha Banks (Melvin) of Greenville, S.C. and Tonya Clark of Chesapeake; two grandchildren, Reshawn Rhodes and Tamesha Banks; two sisters, Ethel Franklin Brown (McOlzer) and Phyllis Franklin Manley of Suffolk; three stepbrothers, Luther Sessoms, Rudolph Sessoms of Wilmington, Del. and Willie White of Chesapeake; mother-in-law, Josephine Brinkley of Suffolk; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. today, June 18, 2005 in St. Paul’s Baptist Church, 806 Lincoln Ave., Suffolk, conducted by the pastor, Bishop C. V. Russell III. The interment will be in Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens. The body will be taken to the church at 11:30 a.m. today. The family will be at 913 Garfield Avenue and 1525 Lake Speight Drive and will assemble at the residence, 911 Garfield Avenue, at noon today for the procession to the church.