November 13, 1943 – March 10, 2026
Mark Franich, beloved husband and father, lifelong golfer, world traveler, eternal student, passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on March 10, 2026. He spent his final days at Sunrise of Cupertino, watched over by his loving wife of 53 years, Nancy (Bailey) Franich.
Mark was born on November 13th, 1943 in New London, Connecticut, the hometown of his mother Mary-Margeret (Corcoran). His father, Marty, was then serving in the Coast Guard, and nicknamed his first son the “Little Skipper”. For the rest of his life, he was known to friends and family as “Skip”. After the war, they moved to Marty’s hometown of Watsonville, and the family grew. The oldest of five children, Skip left home to become a boarding student at Bellarmine College Preparatory. He then earned his bachelors, business, and law degrees at Stanford. He remained dedicated to both institutions for the rest of his life, rarely missing a major sporting event for the Bells or the Cardinal.
In 1970 he met the love of his life, Nancy Bailey, when they were set up by mutual friends at a performance of Rockin’ Ricky Zumbo’s Restoration Revival Band. Married in the summer of 1972, they settled in Los Altos, where they raised two sons, Brendan and Darren. Skip coached both boys through winning and losing seasons of basketball and baseball. In his car, he played them sports radio, Broadway musicals, and Jimmy Buffett.
An estate planning attorney, Skip co-founded the law firm Morgan, Ruby, Franich, Schofield, Bouchier, & Fredkin in 1972. While maintaining his practice in downtown San Jose, Skip dedicated his spare time to other ventures in the city. He joined the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum Board when it was still in the planning stages. He was active in San Jose Rotary, including serving as President in 2003-2004. He was President of the Dad’s Club and Dad’s of Grads at Bellarmine, President of the Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council and an active member of the Salvation Army Board.
He also found time to pursue his passions for travel and golf. Skip and Nancy showed their sons the world. Rare was the weekend when he didn’t fit in 18 holes. He became a regular attendee of Stanford’s Continuing Studies, eventually earning the rare “Centurion” distinction for taking 100 courses. He retired in 2017, and spent time volunteering for Peninsula Food Runners, serving on the board of the Williams Foundation, and grandparenting. The man who was born Mark and became Skip even got a new name. To his grandsons he was always “Bubba,” reader of newspapers, giver of gentle “head-bumps.”
Skip is survived by his wife, Nancy; his sons Brendan and Darren; their wives Erica and Catherine; his grandsons Leo and Jack; his brother Stephen (“Rocky”) Franich and sisters Joan (“Sugar”) Filice, Jill (“Frosty”) Johnson, and Joy Maze; and his niece and nephews. There is an empty seat at Maples Pavilion and an open tee time at his favorite golf course. In honor of Skip’s dedication to charity, please consider making a donation to the Mark Franich Endowment Fund for Tuition Assistance at Bellarmine (c/o Bellarmine College Prep., 960 W. Hedding Street, San Jose, 95126). We are grateful to Sunrise of Cupertino for their kindness to Skip and their care for his dignity as his health waned.
Golf is not an easy game. It is easy for everything to go wrong, and rare for anything to go right. It helps to have patience, humor, and the strength to believe the next hole will turn out better than the last one. When we remember Skip’s dry wit and good cheer, we remember the joyful teachings of another altar boy who loved a day on the links. In the immortal words of Jimmy Buffett: “Some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but I had a good life all the way.” Keep swinging.
