Obituary of James Henry Franzen, 88.
March 1, 1936 – Feb. 3, 2025
Obituary of James Henry Franzen
In the care of Chapel of the Roses & Chapel of the Roses Cemetery
– James Henry Franzen of Paso Robles, California, formerly of Camarillo, California, passed away peacefully on Feb. 3, 2025. He was born on March 1, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois to the late Henry and Marie (nee Ohme) Franzen.
Jim grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, and attended Braeside Elementary School, and later attended Highland Park High School. Jim showed a talent for art early on and also a propensity for running track, becoming a two-time state champion, winning the 100 and 220-yard dashes at State in 1954. He still holds the records for those distances at Highland Park High School today. In 2006, Jim was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame.
He attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a track scholarship in 1954. Following college, Jim attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where he met his first wife, Janet Montgomerie. After their marriage in 1959, Jim served in the US Army for two years at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Upon returning to Highland Park, they welcomed their two daughters, Julie and Paula.
Following the dissolution of his marriage, Jim moved to California in 1979 where his great talent for drawing eventually brought him to Hanna Barbera Studios as a character designer. He later joined the Walt Disney Company in 1982 as a director in product design, and for 15 years, he taught character design at the American Animation Institute, where his classes were very popular with the students. While living in California, he met the love of his life, Kathy Tice. The two were married in 1991 and lived in Camarillo, California until 2024.
Jim is survived by his wife, Kathleen (nee Horton) Franzen; daughters, Julie (Mark) Kerpan, and Paula (the late David) Andersen; grandchildren Katie (Josh) Matthews, Rob (Nicole) Kerpan, Brian (Boston) Andersen, and Kevin Andersen; great-grandchildren, Benjamin, and Natalie Matthews; Stepchildren, David (Peggy) Tice, and Kristie Tice; step-grandson, Garrett Tice and his sister, Judy (Gary) Reyome.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Marie and Henry Franzen; his son-in-law, David Andersen, and his step-grandson, Dillon Tice.
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