Joseph P. Francel Jr. was born on April 18, 1929 in Albany, New York, and went to be with his beloved creator on March 14, 2025, in Wichita, Kansas. He was the son of Joseph P. Francel Sr. and Dorothy (Tolley) Francel.

Joe grew up in Cairo, New York, a small town in the Catskill Mountains with a population of 200 people. From there he attended Greenbriar Military School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, graduating in 1947. After military school, he attended Purdue University and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1955. He was recruited to Boeing in Wichita, Kansas in 1955, where he worked for 40 years.

He met his first wife, Helen Jackson at Boeing; they were married in 1955 and had two children, daughter Karin D. Francel and son Joseph P. Francel III. They enjoyed camping and boating as a family. He later married Sandra D. Folger in 1976, and went on to live a wonderful life.

Joe was an avid volunteer, teaching math to middle schoolers, working as a master gardener with Botanica and the Sedgwick County Extension office, and worked with the Shriners as a bus driver to transport children with cancer to the hospital. He was well-traveled, having visited over 50 countries with his wife Sandee. He was a skilled gardener, creating an oasis of flowers everywhere he lived. He also was a passionate supporter of the arts, attending symphony concerts and music theater regularly. Joe was always quick with a joke or an interesting story of his colorful and fascinating life.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Betty Graham; his wife, Sandee Francel; and his son, Joseph Francel III.

Joe is survived by daughter, Karin D. Francel; step-children Bear Folger (Lori) and Cyndee Masterson (Mike); as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life service for Joe, was held Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at Lakeview Funeral Home, 12100 East 13th Street North, Wichita, Kansas 67206.