Franklin Richard Mackie

Franklin Richard Mackie entered into rest on Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Franklin Richard Mackie was born on September 18th, 1957, in Augusta, Georgia, the third child of Osborne Sentman Mackie, of Fairhill, Maryland, and Katharine Phinizy Mackie of Augusta, Georgia. Franklin grew up on King’s Way in the Summerville district of Augusta, in the house next door to his maternal grandparents, Dr. Irvine Phinizy, an internal medicine doctor and ornithologist, and Katharine “Kitty” Hagler Phinizy. Franklin’s father worked for the DuPont Company, and in December 1962 he was transferred to a new position in Dordrecht, Holland. That winter, Franklin set sail from New York Harbor with his parents and three siblings, Osborne, Kitty and Margaret, to begin the greatest adventure of their young lives. Franklin’s parents loved fine food and travel, and they took their children on car trips across Europe in search of remarkable hotels and restaurants. During that time Franklin and his siblings were set free in beautiful country landscapes, where they embarked on adventures to collect eggs and feathers in the spirit of their naturalist grandfather. The adorable young Franklin was fearless, and often terrified his siblings when he teetered close to the edge of cliffs, oblivious to the steep drop below. The Mackie children were quick to learn Dutch in 1962, and quick to forget it when they moved to Londonderry in Northern Ireland in 1967. Franklin showed an early aptitude for the sciences: when he attended boarding school in Scotland as the sole American in his year, he rose to the top of his highly educated class in mathematics. In 1969, the Mackie family returned to the United States, where they relocated to Victoria, Texas. In high school, Franklin joined his many Mackie cousins every summer to work on his paternal family farm in Fairhill, Maryland, which he always remembered fondly. Franklin entered Rice University at the tender age of 16, where he studied engineering and balanced his rigorous academics with athletics, as captain of the Rice Rugby team. In his first marriage to Virginia Barrera, Franklin had a son and three daughters, whom he called the pride of his life. Franklin raised his children in Augusta and took them on adventures very similar to those of his own childhood: while the Mackie family drove to the far corners of Mexico and Nova Scotia, they also spent time discovering the domestic magic of Low Country Georgia and South Carolina, the mountains of Virginia, and the crystal springs of Florida. Franklin was a man of God with a passion for spreading the love of Jesus. This journey of faith not only led him on mission trips to India, Pakistan, Turkey and Lebanon, but also to his wife Darlene. Franklin was a member of the Harvest Point Pentecostal Church in Augusta, Georgia, and in his travels, he always made time to visit apostolic churches and meet his brothers and sisters in Christ. Franklin died suddenly of a heart attack on August 17th at his country home in Fort Payne, Alabama.

He is survived by his wife Darlene Brock Mackie; his children, Franklin Phinizy Mackie and his spouse Debora Cristoforetti Mackie, Elizabeth Church Mackie, Lydia Virginia Mackie and Susan Margaret Mackie; two grandchildren, Isabella Lydia and Juliette Katharine Mackie; his two step children Levi Boyd and his spouse Bethany Boyd, Amber Newsome (Mrs. Brad Newsome), and their children, Elisabeth and Elijah Boyd, and Hadden Newsome; as well as his siblings, Osborne Phinizy Mackie, Katharine Church Mackie, Margaret Mackie Wimberly (Mrs. Clayton B. Wimberly) and their spouses and children.

A funeral service will be held for Franklin at Harvest Point Pentecostal Church, 2020 Sibley Road, Augusta, Georgia, on Saturday, August 21 at 3:00PM, and a burial service at Westover Memorial Park following the funeral service.

Flowers can be sent to Platt’s Funeral home in Augusta or gifts in memory of Franklin can be donated to the Franklin R. Mackie Scholarship at Greater Augusta Christian Academy on their website, https://greateraugustachristianacademy.com/donate.