Willie T. Franklin Jr. was born on July 6, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Ruthie and Willie T. Franklin Sr. His passion for service started early in life. He served as a Boy Scout with Troop 541 and excelled to Eagle Scout. Willie was educated in the New York City school system. He played basketball for J.H.S. 117 and John Jay High School. He graduated in 1961. Willie was also a talented singer who performed in Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Choir. He was a self-taught pianist, and for decades he loved entertaining friends and family with his crooner voice.

After graduation, Willie continued his passion to serve. He joined the U. S. Army and was trained as an administrative specialist. He was deployed to Wiesbaden, Germany, where he served for three years and then received an honorable discharge at the rank of SP5 (E-5). Upon completion of his military career, Willie was employed by The National City Bank of New York, now called Citibank.

In 1971, Willie began his career with the Fire Department of New York. For 32 years, he served at Engine 65 (E65) on West 43rd Street in Manhattan, New York. The fire department was his life, and he spent many of his hours off duty at E65. Willie enjoyed cooking and would try new recipes on his family before sharing them with his firefighter brothers. He and his E65 buddies loved playing softball and were proud to bring home the FDNY softball trophy. Willie’s favorite pastime at E65 was standing at the garage door greeting people as they walked past the house. People commonly said that he always greeted them with a warm and infectious smile. He was affectionately nicknamed “the Mayor of 43rd Street.” Willie was an avid and talented bowler, and he had numerous trophies, patches, and accolades to prove it.

In 1991, he retired and moved to St. Louis, Missouri. After a year in St. Louis, due to his sense of duty, he moved back to New York and returned to E65. As a result of his passion to help others, Willie was a first responder at the September 11th tragedy. On October 31, 2003, he again retired and spent his time traveling.