COLBY-Franklin F. Thieme, 83, of Colby, Wisconsin, died at 5 p.m. Dec. 31, 1998 at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, at the Maurina Funeral Home in Abbotsford and at the church from 1 p.m. until time of services.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, at Zion Lutheran Church in Colby with the Reverend mark Neumann officiating. Burial will be in the Colby Memorial Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Dan Holtzheimer, Randy Schoelzel, Pat Fonz, Randy Kremsreiter, Larry Decker and Robert Kremsreiter.

Franklin was born June 11, 1915 in Curtiss, the son of Fred and Bertha (Koehler) Thieme. He received his education in the Curtiss area schools.

Following his education, he worked in the grainfields out west and was a government employee with the Civil Conservation Corp.

He married Dorothy Mae Nelson on June 15, 1944 in Curtiss and they farmed in the town of Hull for 22 years. In 1964, they moved to Colby and Frank drove truck for Bergstrom Oil Company for two years, he then was employed for St. Joseph's Hospital in the maintenance department for 15 years. He retired in 1981. After his retirement he volunteered his time for the Clark County Health Care Center as a driver for their residents. Frank loved his years as a farmer and enjoyed gardening, model airplanes, polka dancing and playing cards.

He will be sadly missed by his wife, Dorothy, of Colby; his daughter, Gerri (Brent) Bower of Appleton; sons, James (Christine) Thieme, of Colby, Rod Thieme of Abbotsford, and Robert Thieme of Spencer; grandchildren, Derek, Jason and Travis Thieme, Gina, Stacey, and Jaime Bower, and Beth Marie Hennes; brothers Raymond (Lou) Thieme of Jefferson, Adolph (Rudy) Thieme of Jefferson, and Arnold Thieme of Racine; sister-in-law, Evelyn Thieme of Jefferson; and brothers-in-law, Victor Multerer of Marshfield, and Bud (Mary) Nelson of Abbotsford.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters, Esther, Rose, Helen and Lorraine and two brothers, Harry and Alvin.