Franklin E. Cubbage | Watchmaker, 97

Franklin E. Cubbage, 97, of Glenolden, a watchmaker, carpenter and business owner, died Wednesday at his home.

Mr. Cubbage grew up with nine siblings in Southwest Philadelphia. During the Depression, he was an usher at the Mastbaum Theater in Philadelphia; worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps in upstate Pennsylvania; and played the trumpet and sang in local bands.

After graduating from the Wanamaker School of Watchmaking, Mr. Cubbage worked for Bailey, Banks & Biddle before opening Franklin Jewelry on Woodland Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia in the late 1930s. In 1940, he married Margaret O'Brien. Together, they operated the jewelry store until 1956.

For many years, until his early 80s, Mr. Cubbage operated an overhead-door business in Southwest Philadelphia. He constructed and installed more than 2,000 garage doors in the area, which could be identified by his distinctive diamond design, his family said. He often used his repair skills to help neighbors and his church, they said.

Mr. Cubbage enjoyed bowling and sharing stories of the "old days" with his grandchildren. Hehad an amazing memory and could recite favorite poems and the Gettysburg Address, his son Michael said. In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Cubbage is survived by sons Franklin Jr. and Richard; daughters Margaret McDonough, Marian Spross and Barbara Pyfer; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. today at St. Joseph Church, 500 Woodlawn Ave., Collingdale. Friends may call from 9 to 9:30 a.m. at O'Leary Funeral Home, 640 E. Springfield Rd., Springfield. Burial will be in St. Monica's Cemetery, Berwyn.