Neoma Sue Franks

Neoma Sue Wiggins Frank

Sue Wiggins was born in Pineland, Texas on May 7th, 1933, in east Texas to Marvin “Cooter” and Bertha Wiggins. Bertha put herself through teaching college in the 1920’s and taught school up into her 80’s, which is the stock that Sue was born into. Bertha’s father was a Methodist Circuit Rider evangelist in East Texas at the turn of the century. He wrote Christian hymns and often Bertha would play the piano and play the hymns her father wrote and published.

Church hymns were in Sue’s DNA and of her essence.

Sue graduated from North Texas State University with a degree in Education and a minor in Music. There she met and married her lifetime companion William Daniel Franks on June 26, 1954, in San Augustine, Texas at the United Methodist Church in town. Their reception was held at the home of Sue’s parents near the church.

They married while Dan was in seminary at Iliff Methodist Seminary in Denver, Colorado in 1954. Sue was teaching school and Dan was a Youth Pastor while attending Iliff. Many early photos of the newlyweds were of them ice-skating and snow-skiing in Colorado. When Sue was pregnant with Pam, she would ride the chairlift up and down the ski slopes while Dan skied. Pam was born in July 1955.

After seminary and ordination, Dan was appointed to a church in west Texas. After a year as a pastor, Dan and Sue decided to join the United State Air Force as a chaplain family.

Their first assignment was in Wyoming. There Pamela became a big sister when Sue gave birth to Mark Alan. Again, it is reported and retold over the years that older sister Pam loved to tell her younger brother that she was worth more than he was in life because she cost more to be born. She was born in a civilian hospital in Denver, and he was born, free of charge, in a military hospital in Cheyene, Wyoming.

Sue spent the next 30 years faithfully following Dan around the world as a military chaplain’s wife. Often, she had to take care of home and Pam and Mark by herself in foreign countries and in the United States as Dan’s ministry in the Air Force took him away from home for periods of time. Sue, like all military spouses, learned to do what she had to do.

In 1972-1973, Dan spent a year serving in Vietnam and in Thailand without the family. Sue took care of both children, the house, the bills, car and house repairs, and all health issues that arose. She also, as she did all over the world, led the choir and played the piano in the chapel there at Edwards Air force base in California.

When they were stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, she attended Huntingdon College and received a second degree in Church Hymnology, which was one of the passions in her life. While attending there in her 50s, Sue was nominated for Homecoming Queen and was runner-up!

One dear USAF Methodist Chaplain friend, Chaplain Colonel (retired) Roger Withee, wrote recently of Sue and Dan: Memories washed over me as thought of Sue today. While in Hawaii in the 70’s we often were with Dan and Sue and a few others to gather around a piano and singing our hearts out. Sue was also part of a trio that regularly sang at Chapel by the Sea every Sunday morning. Pam, you, and your mom (and the entire family) are in our prayers.

She taught middle and high school classes in public schools around the world, including Puerto Rico early in her life. She also taught at private schools around the world, including teaching Music to the preschool children at Coker United Methodist in San Antonio.

Fifteen days after their retirement from the Air Force in 1986, Sue and Dan moved to Frankfurt, Germany to be United Methodist missionaries from 1986-1989. Sue absolutely loved hosting all the missionary events for three years as they worked in the German Bishop’s office and ministered to all the English-speaking United Methodists in Europe. They mostly spent three years traveling as missionaries and connecting via small groups of Christians in each of the European countries. Sue was the ultimate host who, as always planned and hosted large dinners and social gatherings within the Family of God.

While living in Germany “on the economy” as missionaries, Dan and Sue mastered speaking German and developed life-long friendships there.

After serving for three years as missionaries in Europe, Sue and Dan retired in San Antonio, Texas where Sue loved enjoying for the next 15 years the symphonies and theater that the city offered. She also played the piano at Fort Sam Houston chapel for many years.

Retirement last only a few months as Dan soon, with Sue’s support, became as Associate Minister of Evangelism at Coker United Methodist Church. He delivered homemade bread weekly to all visitors at the church. Bread that Sue baked. Sue volunteered to be the Music Teacher at the Coker preschool.

Sue also taught for free English as a Second Language to adults and children through the community outreach programs for minorities in San Antonio. She deeply loved helping children by giving them language skills they would need soon in life.

Dan talked her into leaving her beloved city of San Antonio in 1999 and moving to the Franks family farm in Point Enterprise, Texas. Sue, always up for an adventure with Dan, agreed and they moved from the beautiful city of San Antonio to peaceful Point Enterprise. The nearest theater was in Waco at Baylor University where Sue and Dan had Season tickets for the rest of their marriage The nearest symphonies and larger theatre and museums were 90 miles away in Dallas. Regularly, they would drive to Dallas for theatre, art exhibits, museum visits, and symphonies and spend the night.

She loved singing in the choir at First United Methodist in Mexia.

One summer Sue eagerly encouraged Dan to leave Point Enterprise for the summer to take a “summer job” as interim Methodist minister at a church in Italy. The senior minister was out of country for two months and Dan was asked by the pastor to cover for him and serve the church for two months.

They were told that all they had to do was host church service each Sunday morning and preach the one sermon a week.

It turned out that, because of al the political turmoil in Europe that year, the little quiet Italian Methodist Church was filled each Sunday morning with jobless and displaced foreigners fleeing from persecution in their home countries. They were professional people: doctors, lawyers, corporate leaders. Their only meal of the week was served at the church following Dan’s sermon.

Sue and Dan spend all week buying large quantities of food and preparing large, full meals for all the homeless and displace Christian refugees in Italy.

Sue spent her entire life serving others in the Church and in the community. Once back in Point Enterprise, she spent many summers on mission trips to New Mexico doing needed repair work at a Methodist orphanage there.

Sue taught music and responsibilities of acolytes to children at First United Methodist Church of Mexia, she sang in the choir, and tutored children at the After-School Program. She was involved in habitat for Humanity and the Friday Ladies Club. Sue was an expert in gardening and loved being in the Mexia Garden Club, as well.

The love of her life and her fellow servant and fellow adventurer and world-traveler partner Dan went to be with the Lord unexpectedly in March of 2017. Sue spent every day for six weeks humming hymns to Dan as she sat beside him in his hospital bed.

Sue has been waiting to join him ever since. Like always, she faithfully waited without fanfare as her Alzheimer disease slowly moved her closer and closer to the day, she could join Dan and Jesus.

Dan wrote this poem to his beloved, Sue:

My Sue with Alzheimer’s

I’m off, she said.

But you’re on.

So, I’m going to hold

On to you

For a little while, I said.

Then we’ll both be off

Hand in Hand

To the afterlife.

Sue is survived by her daughter, Pamela Smith of Point Enterprise; son Mark Franks of Colorado Springs, Colorado; her brother Dr. Ken Wiggins and his wife Gloria who live in Aurora, Colorado; five grandchildren: Amity Neighbors and her husband Will in Auburn, Alabama; Daniel Smith and his wife Chante’ of College Station, Texas; Elijah Franks of Austin, Texas; Katelyn Dietz and her husband Steven III of New Braunfels, Texas; Rachael Cagle and her husband Andrew of Waxahachie, Texas and eight great grandchildren.  She was also preceded in death by her son-in-law, Gary Smith.

The family asks that all donations to honor Sue be given to Groesbeck Long Term Care and Nursing Home in Groesbeck, Texas to say thanks to all the wonderful staff who so lovingly cared for “Miss Sue” the years she lived there.

Her request was to be cremated. Her ashes will be interred beside Dan at the Point Enterprise Cemetery.

A service of Death and Resurrection will be held at First United Methodist Church of Mexia on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Because of Sue's love of music (and Sue hearing plenty of sermons) the service will be largely music.