Billie Ferguson Franke of Buda, Texas, passed away peacefully in Austin, Texas on Friday, February 26, 2021 at the age of 83 years and two days. She was one of the very few remaining “old timers” born in Buda. Her parents were Bruce and Mary Abney Ferguson. Bruce served as Mayor of Buda for some 23 years. His mother Mary Jane Ferguson, nee Lawson, came to Texas with her parents as a young girl in a covered wagon in the late 1800’s, settling in the Buda area. Billie’s Great Grandfather, McKinney Lawson who also came to the Buda area of Hays County as an early settler was one of the founding members of the First Baptist Church of Buda as noted on the historical marker in front of the church.
In mid-semester of her senior year at North Texas State University in Denton, she married Ronald R. Franke, in Buda on January 23, 1960 and they returned to Denton for her to complete her final year and graduate before moving back to Buda.
Her life was dedicated to the service of children, both her own and those in the communities where she worked for over 40 years in the field of education. Her first employment in her chosen field of Home Economics was at her old Alma Mata of Buda High School where she began as an assistant to her former Home Economics teacher, Nina Coers. She also taught Home Economics at Kyle High for several years before transferring to Hays High School in the Home Economics Department with Linda Schmeltekopf.
After nearly 20 years in the Hays system Billie moved to the Austin ISD Administration in the late 1970’s until her retirement in May of 2001. There she worked as an administrator for another twenty years. Her many roles in Austin included Dropout Prevention Coordinator for the district, a program she was greatly interested in. She also was very active in the pursuit of gathering school supplies for students needing that assistance at the beginning of each school year. Billie was responsible for bringing that program into Hays County.
Her work with the Cub and Boy Scouting programs resulted in her successfully participating in helping her son and his two sons achieve the distinguished Eagle Scout awards.
Billie and Ron had just passed their 61st wedding anniversary the month before her passing. She was predeceased by her Granny Ferguson, her parents and her and Ron’s eldest son, Ronald Reed Franke, Jr. She is survived by her husband Ron, their son Mark and her beloved grandsons, Ronald Stuart (Stuart) Franke and Philip Kirby (Philip) Franke and Philip’s wife, Amber Day. Stuart and Philip are sons of Ronald, Jr.
Services will be held at the First Baptist Church of Buda on Tuesday, March 9th at 3:00 PM. Those attending the service should wear masks and adhere to social distancing safety procedures. For those unable to attend, a live stream of the service can be accessed via https://bit.ly/bfranke. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital.
