Harold William (Hal) Francis passed away peacefully at his home in Lexington on December 23, 2020.

A son of the late James A. Francis and Eileen (Coley) Francis, he was born in August 1921 in Akron, Ohio.

A graduate of Central High School in Akron, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the outbreak of World War II. Upon completion of Aviation Cadet Training, he was commissioned an officer and became a transport pilot, flying the challenging "Hump" route across the Himalayas from India to China.

Returning to Akron after the war, he was employed at the Goodyear Bank, where he met Ruth "Vonnie" Brunner, whom he married in 1953. They moved to Cumberland, Maryland, in 1959, where Mr. Francis became treasurer of the Kelly Springfield Tire Company, a position he held for 27 years.

He retired to Lexington in 1987, where he focused on golf and meeting new friends.

Preceded in death by his wife and his brother, James Francis, he is survived by daughters, Deborah Finley of Tyler, Texas, and Linda Francis of Danville, and son, David Francis (Rebecca) of Pinehurst, N.C.