Franklin Griffith Drake
March 22, 1928 – Sept. 13, 2021
Franklin Griffith Drake, age 93, son of the late Donald M. and Janet Drake, passed away peacefully Sept. 13, 2021.
Beloved husband of Harriet Bouvy Drake, loving father of Amy Drake Reeves (Tom), Matthew Bouvy Drake (Amanda) and Andrea Eve Hull (David) and proud grandfather of six grandchildren, McKenzie Marie Brooks (Hunter), Jason Andrew Hull, Ryan Drake Hull, Samuel Tavin Hull, Tyler Julia Drake and Jaime Mandeville Drake. Franklin celebrated living in the Pacific Northwest and sharing time together with his friends and family in homes on the Oregon coast, first in Cannon Beach and later in Gearhart. When his children were young, he enjoyed many winter weekends at the mountain cabin he built with his father and brothers in Government Camp, Ore.
Franklin attended Lincoln High School, graduating from Menlo Junior College and the University of Michigan (Engineering) in 1950. After his father passed away Franklin returned to Portland and joined his brothers Donald G. and Mitchell G. Drake to run their father’s construction company. Much of his business experience involved working in the outdoors. From 1960-1995 he was President and CEO of Donald M. Drake Company, one of the Northwest’s largest construction firms with numerous construction projects in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Michigan. More noteworthy projects in Portland included the Benjamin Franklin Building, the KOIN Tower, Lloyd Center, Portland Towers, the Stadium Freeway, Vista Ridge Tunnels, the East and West approaches to the Fremont Bridge, the Rose Garden Arena (now Moda Center) and in the San Francisco Oakland Bay Area, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) underground stations on Montgomery and 19th Streets and aerial links between El Cerrito and Richmond.
In 1966, Franklin and his brothers Donald and Mitchell entered a competitive bid with the US Forest Service for the proposed development of Mt. Hood Meadows, on the southeast face of Mt. Hood. His investment group won the award from the US Forest Service and Franklin remained CEO developing and managing the ski resort until turning it over to his son Matthew, upon his retirement in 2006. Preferring to keep a low profile, Franklin enjoyed working with a team of highly experienced professionals and always attributed much of his companies’ successes to them. He viewed these team members as extensions of his own family.
His sense of community and business skills resulted in multiple years, serving on several Boards, including the Board of Directors of US Bancorp and its predecessor, US National Bank, Portland General Electric, and the Portland Chamber of Commerce. He was also a United Fund Group Leader and Urban Land Institute Council Executive Member. Additionally, Franklin served as Trustee of the Oregon State District Council of Laborers Pension Fund and was elected President of the Multnomah Athletic Club in 1963. Franklin challenged himself and inspired others to share his sense of adventure and his drive to succeed. Today, Franklin’s legacy lives on in his children and grandchildren, as well as in the memories of those who loved him and those who worked alongside him to build many of Oregon’s lasting landmarks.
The Drake family would like to express their everlasting gratitude for the compassionate and loving care given to Franklin by several Caregivers, including his youngest daughter and especially Khaden Jee, Tonya Worth, Grace Caraan and Rachel Stanton who allowed Franklin’s zeal for life to continue until his last breath.
In response to the COVID 19 Pandemic, a small private funeral will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
For more information, please contact River View Cemetery Funeral Home. A grand celebration of life will be held at a future TBD date. Thank you for your understanding.
Remembrances may be made in the form of donations to: The National Parkinson Foundation at www.parkinson.org, the Oregon Food Bank at www.oregonfoodbank.org or Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Building Maintenance Fund.
Originally published on OregonLive.