Julio Franco

Julio Franco, 52, of Ottawa, IL, passed away on Sunday, January 23, 2022.  Visitation will be on Sunday, January 30, 2022 from 1-3pm at Ottawa Funeral Home.  Julio was born September 14, 1969 in Chicago, IL, to Luis and Graciela (Navarro) Franco.  Julio and Carolina Applebee spent 13 years of their lives together and were married on October 30, 2015 in Ottawa, IL.  He is survived by his father, Luis Franco, his madrina, Josefina Navarro, brothers Tony (Lisa) Franco, Jose (Dolores) Franco, and Robert (Emmylou) Franco, his sister Sylvia (Ricardo) Rodriguez, his wife Carolina, their daughter Olivia, his son Jared Franco, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.  Julio was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Graciela Navarro.

Julio was a long time lover of rock and roll, most especially progressive metal rock.  He spent some years as a drummer in the rock band Adenine in Chicago.  In the summer, he was the master of the backyard BBQ grill.  In the fall, he was a devoted fan of the NFL and the Bears.  In the winter, he loved watching basketball on tv and all year round he loved spending time with his wife, his daughter and his 3 cats. He was a huge fan of Dunkin Donuts coffee, which he enjoyed with his favorite Mexican sweet bread, conchas.  A long time school bus driver, he was most recently employed driving for Johannes Bus Services out of Peru, IL.   The light of his life was his daughter, Olivia.

Memorials may be directed to the family.   The online guest book may be viewed and remembrances shared at www.ottawafuneralhome.com.