Audrey Annable Franklin of Brighton, CO, passed away in Wheat Ridge, CO, on July 20, 2026, at the age of 87. She was born as Audrey Carolyn Annable on September 3, 1938, in Broken Bow, Custer County, NE, to Elenora Lucille Farritor and Earle William Annable.
Audrey was highly intelligent, hardworking, curious, strong-willed, funny, caring, determined, creative, independent, generous and honest. As a child and teenager, she loved to read, play the oboe, sing, dance, draw, sew, rescue cats and dogs, and (occasionally) play tricks on adults. She graduated from Ravenna High School in 1956, and the following year moved to Houston, TX, for work. In 1958 she married Albert Sonnier, her supervisor at Western Union, and they had four children. Their marriage ended in divorce about 1965. Audrey was working in travel reservations for an oil company now known as Exxon when she married company sales representative Jim English in 1967. He had custody of his two young children (Alison and Robert) after his own divorce. Audrey was a great mother and stepmother to their brood of six kids. She was a stay-at-home mom for several years before becoming a licensed real estate agent. During their teen years, her kids often asked for her advice, and many of their friends did the same. Audrey was a good listener, nonjudgemental and wise. Although her second marriage ended in divorce in 1979, her love for her stepkids never lessened.
After her children became adults, Audrey moved away from Houston. She eventually ended up in Denver, CO, where she worked full time and attended college part time. She planned to become a physician, as she had dreamed of as a teenager, and earned excellent grades for it. When Audrey met Jack Franklin (also divorced multiple times) at a singles dance at a Methodist church, she was extremely busy and not interested in getting married again. However, Jack persisted in wooing her by cooking dinner while Audrey studied. After he moved to Grand Junction, CO, she realized that she loved and missed this interesting and kind pharmacist/ veterinarian. Audrey soon married Jack in Lakewood and became stepmother to his six kids in their mother’s custody. Audrey eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree from what is now known as Colorado Mesa University. By then Audrey was in her 50’s, so a Denver medical school administrator kindly talked her out of attending medical school. By the time she could complete her medical training at great financial expense, Audrey would be retirement age.
However, she wasn’t done with her college studies. Audrey and Jack next moved to Loveland, CO, where he worked as a Walgreens pharmacist while she worked for several years on her doctorate degree in Biochemistry at Colorado State University in nearby Fort Collins. After a health scare, Audrey received her master’s degree and retired rather than completing her PhD.
During their Loveland years, the Franklins became friends with Jack and Binh Rybacki. Originally from Vietnam, Binh returned to visit as an adult and was impressed to set up a series of orphanages there. Her Children of Peace International charity still helps care for and educate kids in Vietnam. Over a period of years, Audrey participated in several medical trips to help the orphans and other impoverished Vietnamese. Audrey didn’t know how to speak their language, but she strongly communicated her love as she served them. They greatly enjoyed the cheerful and chubby American grandmother.
Of course, Audrey had the same effect on her own children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Over the decades, she and Jack often had one or more of them visiting or even living in their home, whether in the town of Loveland or on their 2+ acres in Brighton. The Franklins also took in many animals over the years. Sometimes they had over 50 in their inside and/or outside menagerie: cats, dogs, chickens, chuckers, geese, ducks, goats, horses, mules, etc. Audrey and Jack took in many as rescue animals.
Audrey was a firm Roman Catholic but accepted that her grown children took different paths in their beliefs. Her hobbies included socializing with friends and family (regularly meeting with her cousins in the Denver area), crocheting, surfing the Internet, family history and traveling, along with her lifetime love of reading, learning, conversing, etc. She kept up with current events and politics, especially wanting to make the world better for her grandchildren and following generations. The world is a better place because of Audrey Franklin. Her friends and family honor, love and miss her.
Audrey was preceded in death by her parents, sister Lorraine Annable Trampe, daughter Loretta “Lori” Morehead (née Sonnier), stepdaughter Alison English, granddaughter Amy White (née Sonnier), great-grandson Gabriel Sonnier, and two ex-husbands, Albert Sonnier and Jim English.
Audrey is survived by:
- Her best husband (of 39 years), Jack Richard Franklin of Brighton.
- Siblings: Marlene Hubble (Gary), Gwen Gorman, and Jim Annable (Joan).
- Children: Annette Sonnier Olsen (John), Paul Sonnier (Cheryl) and Mark Sonnier (Diane Holley).
- Stepchildren: Robert English; Kim Tacy (née Franklin), Tracy Mateus (née Franklin) (Stan), Scott Sullivan (Angie), Michelle Franklin Peterson, Todd Franklin (Carly) and Josh Franklin (John Wolfe).
- Grandchildren: Kelly Pickard (née Sonnier) (Jon), Jason Fanoe (Kindra), Alison Morehead Cano (Jaime), Leslie Sonnier, April Sonnier (Kevin Metzger); David Sonnier, Joanne Spooner, and Ian Spooner; Jeremy Sonnier; Kaiti Olsen; Misha Thayer, and Kailyn, Kasidy Jandera, and Morgan Tacy; Jonas, Penelope and Juniper Franklin and Elijah Biggs.
- Great-grandchildren: Alyssa, Jeremy, Danielle, Lila and Cara Pickard; Violet Cano; Veronica Sonnier and Levi White; Malcolm Tally; Parker, Pierce, Prescott, Porter and Perrie Fanoe; and more!
- Cousins (Bill Farritor, Michelle Mcmurray, Tommy Annable, etc.), nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 2:00 PM at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Broken Bow, NE. Online words of remembrance may be left at govierbrothers.com.
