Obituary of Ted France

Ted Walter France, 65, of Midland, MI, peacefully went to be with his Lord and Savior on April 3, 2020 at Avielle Haven Living Facility in Midland. Ted graciously endured a rare form of dementia, Posterior Cortical Atrophy, for about 10 years. In his last few days here on earth, he was comforted by the thoughtful words of his family and friends while surrounded by his wonderful caregivers and his loving wife, Janet Dinnan France. Ted was born in Midland, on December 23, 1954 to Clyde and the late Marilyn France. Ted graduated from Midland High School. He joined the United States Navy in December of 1972. He was assigned to the USS Constellation Naval Air Station in June of 1973 during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged from service in October of 1973. Once he settled back in Midland, Ted began climbing the career path to eventually become a master electrician. In the early 1990s, Ted opened his own electrical company, specializing in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Ted was blessed with two children, Katherine "Katie" Watson, and Theodore"Teddy" France, whom he loved with all of his heart. On May 7, 2005, Ted married his "Finnish Flower" Janet Dinnan France. He became a wonderful step-father to her six children. One of Ted's favorite titles was "grandpa." His 17 grandchildren were blessed with a man who made crazy animal noises, did ridiculous and sometimes dangerous dance moves, took enormous amounts of pictures of them, and who made life fun. Ted was well known by his friends and family for his generous heart, dry sense of humor, and his many talents. Ted was a gifted electric guitar player and was a member of his church worship band for many years. Ted also had a love of photography and was exceptionally talented at capturing landscapes and nature. Of all of his passions, Ted was very clear that his faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, was of the most importance and he strived to live his life accordingly. Ted is survived by his wife of 15 years, Janet; father, Clyde France; daughters, Katie (Joe) Watson, and Hannah (Samuel) Mithoefer; sons, Teddy France, Tim (Kristi) Dinnan, Luke (Jill) Dinnan, Matthew Dinnan, Jacob (Lucie) Dinnan; grandchildren, Lydia, Jacob, Dayton, Xavier, Kylie, Taylor, Elyjah, Braylynn, Nolan, Nikolai, Blair, Nova, Ashton, Rhett, Aleksei, Mason, and Miles; brothers, Jeffery (Brenda), Frank, Tim (Kelly), Joe (Carmen), and Chris (Karen); and many beloved nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends. Ted was preceded in death by his mother, Marilyn "Tillie" France; his siblings, Sharon, Michael, and Andrew; daughter, Danielle Dinnan; and nephew, Michael J. France. Due to our country's current social distancing status, a tentative memorial service will be held at 1 PM, Saturday, August 1, 2020 at Midland Reformed Church, 1100 N Saginaw Rd, Midland, MI 48640, with Reverend James Dinnan officiating. Until we are able to gather in person, please help celebrate Ted's life by sharing memories of Ted by card or at www.cremationsocietymidmi.com