A visitation will be held on Friday, October 31, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Becker-Rabon Funeral Home in Lawton, Oklahoma. A celebration of Chad's life will follow on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Trinity Baptist Church in Lawton, where family and friends will gather to honor and remember him.

The world got a little quieter, and Heaven got a little louder, when Chad Michael Franklin, 45, of Duncan, Oklahoma, passed away on October 26, 2025. He was born in Lawton on September 29, 1980 and graduated from Eisenhower High School. Chad lived every one of his 45 years exactly the way he wanted: boldly, stubbornly, and usually with a smart remark ready.

Chad was the kind of guy who could talk his way into (or out of) anything. He never met a stranger and somehow managed to be the center of attention without even trying. Whether he was watching OU football, firing up the smoker, or hanging out with friends, Chad had a way of making ordinary moments feel like events. He would be right in the middle of it, grinning, storytelling, and running the show. He was charming, quick-witted, and polished in a way that just seemed effortless. Beneath the jokes and one-liners was a heart that was genuine, loyal, and fiercely protective of the people (and dogs) he loved most.

Chad enjoyed his experiences living in Canada in his junior high days. His highlight was learning to play hockey and was apparently a star! Chad served in the United States Navy as an aviation technician, earning several honors for his service, including the Purple Heart Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and Expert qualifications in both rifle and pistol marksmanship. While his time in the Navy was only a small part of his life, it left a lasting impact. It instilled in him the strength, discipline, and dedication that carried through everything he did afterward.

Chad's life can't be summed up in a few paragraphs, but it can be remembered in the laughter he sparked, the loyalty he inspired, and the mark he left on everyone lucky enough to know him.

He leaves behind a long list of people who loved him beyond words, including his wife, Katie Franklin, and their dogs, Cooper, Minnie, and Daly, who are sticking close to home, exactly where Chad would want them, soaking up the love he left behind. He is also survived by his in-laws, David and Sherry Beall, and his stepmother, Kelly Wade Franklin. His stepsisters include Jodi Eschiti-Breeden, Natalie Kinmonth and her fiancé, Brad Rice, Katie Dorsey and her husband, Drew, and their son, Cal, along with his stepbrother, John Paul Kinmonth. His extended family includes his aunts and uncles, Cindy and Jim Chadwick and Shellie and Bruce Anders, and his aunts, Kathy Corrales Franklin and Meta Tate; his cousins, Kyle and Alyssa Chadwick, and their children, Cassidy and Camden, Corey Chadwick and his partner, Alyssa Estrada, and their daughter, Hazel, Cole Anders, Craig and Peyton Anders, Callie and Brent Romeo, Katie Franklin, and Kristen Franklin Murray and her two daughters, Ivy and Maylynn, his nieces, Chloe Anna-Louise Sheffield and Lainee Dawn Sheffield, and his nephews, Gary Lopez and his wife, Kati, and James Robert Lopez.

He also leaves behind his extended family of lifelong friends who became brothers and sisters along the way, including Keegan and Jessica Riddle, John and Vanessa Linville, Meghan and Jakim Finlay, Cody and Amber Schroeder, and Steven Welch.

Chad is preceded in death by his grandparents, Garold and Ellen Franklin; his dad, Mike Franklin; his mom, Paula Franklin; his stepmother, Susan Franklin; his stepsister, Jennifer Sheffield; his extended family of lifelong friends, David Reavis and Andrew Weryavah; and his loyal dogs, Polo and Chloe.

Rest easy, Chad. You did it your way.