Frank Family Update. . .

3/5/2010 CAPTURED:  Click here!

Betty Jo Frank and Keitha Turner were laid to rest December 31, 2009 on a gray, chilly and dull afternoon. Although the skies were colored a sad granite and filled with leaden clouds, the sky on the inside of the Church of Living Waters was alive and filled with the celebration of two special lives.

On the evening before, some 2500 people showed to the church for visitation. According to many city officials, this was the largest turnout for a funeral in Rosenberg in recent memory, if not ever. Of course, this is the first murder in Rosenberg in five years, but that does not dilute the magnitude of the positive influence of the Frank family in this small, tight-knit community.

We waited in line for over two hours for the viewing on Wednesday night and many hundreds of people waited behind us. The sight of so many people coming together as a veritable cross section of the many races and cultures of Texas in support of the Frank family was beyond words to describe. And Pastor Gene, Betty Jo's husband and Keitha's father, stood strongly at the head of the line greeting, crying, witnessing and sharing in the grief and absolute misery of others. I spoke with Pastor for only a moment and explained my brief encounters with Betty Jo which I ended with "she was a wonderful woman." Pastor Frank, his grip firm and eyes remarkably clear replied, "She still is." A true man of the Lord, no doubt.

During the funeral service the somber mood was brightened by glorious music, prayer, humorous anecdotes and a rousing sermon by Paul Vick. His choice to deliver God's message to the Frank family was simple. He was the only one who could preach as loudly as Betty Jo could. And boy did he.

In retrospect, and even as a relative outsider, I found myself caught up in the emotion and shed a tear as many of the congregation did, but I left with a renewed feeling about the sanctity of life, the importance of family and friends, but maybe most importantly, a new-found appreciation for the warmth and healing nature of humanity. It is all too easy to become insulated from the harsh realities of life as we work, go home, eat, sleep, repeat, and it was an eye-opening experience to be a part of such a wonderful outpouring of unadulterated, pure and sincere emotion. Through it all, my eyes have been opened to the truer meaning of life: you really must live each day as your last and all the similar time-worn cliches as such. Because you never never, never ever know when it will be your last day here. Make it worth living now before it is gone tomorrow.

As for the Keitha's children, they are in the loving arms of their Uncle Darren and surrounded by countless family members and friends. Although they have their whole lives ahead of them I can only imagine that the future is a puzzling and fuzzy orb of nothingness for them. I pray for their deliverance through these difficult times.

The Church of Living Waters has set up a college fund for the children and another fund to provide for immediate expenses, funeral arrangements, etc. Please visit their website and donate if you can. Your donation will not go unnoticed I assure you.

I would like to personally thank the community of Rosenberg for sharing in the celebration of two special women and the many people behind the scenes at the Church of Living Waters for providing such outreach and inclusion for the event. Just phenomenal!

Also, I would like to thank Rich from The World of Greasywrench, Jill from Pundit and Pundette, Breada from The Breda Fallacy and John from Love's Laughing Locksmith for sharing this story with their readers and by virtue of that, sharing it with the world. I've had over 1500 people come by because of you all and it is my hope that this traffic helps lead to the capture and prosecution of Albert Turner. Please stop by and pay them all a visit to say thanks.

As for Mr. Turner, he is still on the run, but the longer he runs the more likely he is going to run out of time and luck. The Houston Chronicle is reporting that U.S. Marshals are stepping up effort to find him and he will be featured on America's Most Wanted next week.

Thanks again everyone and here is a link about the funeral of the Franks.