Tessie "Frankie" Frances (Baldridge) Kirkland

Tessie “Frankie” Kirkland went home to the arms of her savior Jesus Christ on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the age of 76, with her faithful husband and family by her side at her home in Midlothian, Texas.

Frankie was born on May 25, 1945, in Flatwoods, Kentucky. She is preceded in death by her parents, George and Georgia Baldridge, brothers Tom Baldridge, June Baldridge, Fred Baldridge, sister Stella Baldridge, father-in-law Ben Kirkland, father-in-law Bob O’Connor, mother-in-law Ruth O’Connor, brother-in-law Leroy Parsons, Nephew Danny Parsons, grandson Justin Hicks, and granddaughter Jessica Williams.

She deeply loved her surviving siblings, brother Robert (Bob) Baldridge and his wife Margaret Baldridge, nieces Regina Baldridge and Tammy Gaeger, her sister Rebecca (Becky) Parsons, nieces and nephews James, Kim, Melanie and Faith. Her sister Hazel Marcum and her husband Andy Marcum and niece Chrissy Shneider. Along with her bonus siblings, Benny Ray and Diane Kirkland, Judy Sullivan and Ruth Hidalgo.

Frankie married the love of her life, Joe Kirkland, on December 17, 1988. They celebrated nearly 34 years of marriage and were inseparable. They have four children: Tony Grizzle, Vallory Williams with husband David Williams, Angela Pekar with husband Bradley Pekar and Robin Hatfield with husband William Hatfield. She was the proud grandmother of Rachel Knoll and husband Jordan Knoll, Justin Hicks, Michael Grizzle, Tyler Hill, Jessica Williams, Brandon Pekar, Will Hatfield, Ben Hatfield, Amber Milstead and husband Ricky Milstead. She was also a great-grandmother to Luke Knoll, Elijah Knoll, Cambry Milstead, Rhett Milstead, Brody Milstead, Lily Hill and Ivy Martin.

Frankie had incredible skill and a long career in painting and wallpapering beautiful homes. She shared this career with her sister Becky, and they were quite a team.

She had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening, producing an abundance of vegetables that she would share with family and friends. She also found great joy spending her time volunteering with hospice and also found time to volunteer in local nursing homes to help brighten the patients’ day along with delivering her homemade meals to elderly people. Frankie had many talents that also included making quilts and doing crafts and was quite an impressive carpenter.

Frankie will be missed by so many but would assure everyone she left behind that she has never been more alive as she is now in Heaven than she ever was in her days on Earth. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Frankie’s life on Sunday, April 10, 2022, at 2:00 pm at Drew’s Landing First Baptist Church, 161 Thomas Castleberry Road, Shepherd, Texas 77371.