Franklin Gay Obituary

Franklin Gerald Gay, Jr. CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - Franklin Gerald Gay, Jr., of Cape Canaveral, Florida, passed away peacefully on April 17, 2023 with his wife, family, and their little dog, Chanel, by his side. He was 78 years old. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Rebecca Benedict Gay, his sister, Mary Virginia (Ginger) Gay Britt (Darrell, deceased), his daughter, Stephanie Gay Raymond (Benjamin, Jr., deceased), his son, Franklin Gerald Gay, III (Lauren), seven grandchildren: Franklin Gerald Gay, IV, Julianna Townsend Gay, Stephanie Raymond Bixman (Dakota), Anna Margaret Raymond, Capers Ladner Gay, Benjamin Joseph Raymond, III, and Christianna Gay Raymond, and three precious great-grandchildren,Azriel, Aria, and Kuavo. One grandchild, Rebecca Catherine Raymond, preceded him in death. He is also survived by a niece, Katherine Britt Marciano, a nephew, Charles Andrew Britt, three great-nieces, and two great-nephews. Frank was born on May 16, 1944 in Ripley, Mississippi, the son of Franklin Gerald Gay and Catherine Barnett Ladner Gay. He graduated from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) with a Bachelor's degree in Business and from Memphis State University with an M.B.A. He relocated to Charleston, South Carolina with his wife. He served for ten years as an Assistant Professor of Business at Charleston Southern University, formerly The Baptist College of Charleston. He began renovating historic Charleston homes and later became an innovator in the bed and breakfast industry in Charleston, giving rise to a series of inns in Charleston and Savannah. He developed and owned The Battery Carriage House Inn, The Elliott House Inn, and The Meeting Street Inn in Charleston as well as The Eliza Thompson House in Savannah. He then launched The Carriage House Inns brand which expanded into states beyond the Lowcountry. He was an active member of and served in The American Hotel and Motel Association. In 1992, they moved to Kissimmee, Florida, where he owned and operated Condotels, a vacation condominium rental company servicing tourists visiting area attractions. Upon retirement, he and his wife, Becky, moved to his childhood family home in Ripley, Mississippi and later to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He grew up as a Presbyterian at Ripley Presbyterian Church in Ripley, Mississippi. He later became an Episcopalian and was a member for over 30 years of The Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida. He faithfully centered his life around God, his Christian faith, his wife, and his family. He was kind and generous to all. Franklin Gerald Gay, junior ("Pop Pop") left a beautiful legacy for his family and is beloved by his wife, his sister, his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and all family and friends in his life. A Celebration of Life service in Orlando, Florida will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2023 at noon at The Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 130 N. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801. A reception will follow. A Celebration of Life service will also be held in Ripley, Mississippi on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at Ripley Presbyterian Church, 302 Cooper Street, Ripley, Mississippi 38663. A visitation will be held at 10:00am with the service following at 11:00am at Ripley Presbyterian Church. The interment will be held at Ripley Cemetery at the family burial plot beside his beloved parents. Arrangements are being handled by Island Cremations & Funeral Home in Merritt Island, Florida and McBride Funeral Home in Ripley, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be given to Ripley Presbyterian Church, Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society Home for Girls in Honduras, or The Cathedral Church of St. Luke. Visit our guestbook at legacy.com/obituaries/charleston