Obituaries : Franklin E. Dana; Ex-County Court Official
Franklin E. Dana, a Los Angeles County court commissioner for 15 years, has died. He was 75.
Dana, who retired in 1980, died Wednesday afternoon of congestive heart failure at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, according to his wife of 53 years, Margaret E. Dana.
Born June 5, 1920, in La Crosse, Wis., Dana lived briefly in New York and Los Angeles before settling in Toluca Lake in 1959. After graduating from UCLA, he served as a Navy officer in World War II. When the war ended, he earned his law degree from USC.
“Ever since he was a little boy, he wanted to be an attorney . . . and he was down and determined,” said Margaret Dana of her husband, who was a court commissioner from 1965 to 1980.
In addition to his wife, Dana is survived by three daughters, Karlynn Cuda of Tucson, Ariz., Lauren E. Willing of South Pasadena, and Margaret D. Sammet of Agua Dulce, and six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Hollywood Hills.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Blind Childrens Center of Los Angeles.
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