Obituary of Joseph M. France

Joseph M. France (Ike), age 61, of Roxborough, PA passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on October 23, 2020 at Albert Einstein Hospital. Born and raised in Germantown, PA, Joseph was known as "Ike From G-Town". He always cared about other people and that was shown with his first job as an ambulance driver. After that, he was known as the happiest doorman at the River Park House in Philadelphia. Joseph later became a CDL driver for Belcher Roofing. Joseph was a car and motorcycle enthusiast, and could often be found flipping through the pages of car and motorcycle books and magazines. He loved watching TV, with his favorite shows being The Andy Griffith Show and the Flinstones. There was never a time where he did not have the TV on. He loved watching TV so much that he even spelled out that he wanted The Andy Griffith Show on in his last days in the hospital, and urged the nursing staff to show him how to use the remote so he could watch his shows. Joseph was such a loving and caring father to Cheri. He made sure to call Cheri every single day, and Cheri always looked forward to hearing him say "Happy Friday!" as she was on her drive to work. One of the fondest memories of Joseph was on October 26, 2019 when he got to walk Cheri down the aisle at her wedding, and was also able to dance with her to "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon, which was a song that he used to sing to her when she was a little girl. Joseph was a notorious jokester and you could always count on him for a good laugh. In fact, one of the last things he asked as Cheri and Kerry stepped back into the hospital room after having a conversation was "What, were you guys making out?" God has a new angel in heaven who will forever be in our hearts. In addition to his parents, William and Anne Griffith France, he is preceded in death by his sister, Myra Flannigan. He is survived by his daughter, Cheri France Kynett and her husband, Kerry Kynett, 3 brothers, William France Jr., John France and James France, his former wife, Elizabeth Edson and numerous extended family and friends. Graveside services will be held on October 28, Wednesday, 10:30AM at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia, PA (Meet at the entrance near the office at 10:15am). Online condolences may be made by visiting www.paganofuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Shriners Hospitals for Children. With his love for watching TV, Joseph always had a soft spot in his heart for the children that are in the commercials and would love for them to get the support and care that they need.