Ronald Reed Franke, Jr, 55, of Austin, passed away January 1, 2016. Ronnie was born August 31, 1960 to Billie Ferguson Franke and Ronald Franke, Sr. of Buda. He grew up in Buda and graduated from Jack C. Hays High School. At Hays he was drum major of the Rebel Band and active in the Science Club, winning the UIL State Science Contest.
He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member and served as president of the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) service fraternity. He graduated from UT with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Ronnie was a life member of Texas Exes and a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Ronnie actively participated in the Boy Scouts of America, receiving his Eagle Scout as a high school sophomore. A point of great pride was witnessing both his sons being awarded their Eagle Scouts. He was a Scoutmaster and held multiple adult leadership roles in the BSA Capitol Area Council.
He pursued a career that combined his engineering skills with software development. Since 1999 he was Vice President of Operations at Relatrix Corp., a software company he co-owned with his brother.
Ronnie was proud of his heritage as a 7th generation Texan and was an active member of the “Sons of the Republic of Texas.”
He is survived by his two sons Ronald Stuart of San Francisco and Philip Kirby Franke of Austin; his brother, Mark Franke of Colorado and his parents, Billie and Ron Franke of Buda.
The service will be held at Harrell Funeral Home in Kyle on Wednesday, January 6th at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Boys Scouts Of America Capitol Area Council (www.bsacac.org).
