Thomas Eskridge Francis

Thomas Eskridge Francis, M.D., 68, of Gainesville, GA died at his home on August 26, 2018, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. 

An Anniston, Alabama native, Tom was a graduate of the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Emory University, and following in his father’s footsteps, George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. His career took him to Louisville, KY and Atlanta before he settled with his family in Gainesville in 1986.

Tom had many passions, from a lifelong interest in trains, to his love of backpacking, which he discovered in his late 20’s. Backpacking trips through Europe and the Sierra Nevadas were his most memorable and talked-about “pre-children” trips. Later, Tom made it a priority to take his children hiking and backpacking, oftentimes as an Assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troup 26. A lover of the arts, he enjoyed art of the Ancient Americas, North Georgia folk pottery, literature, and architecture, an interest he ardently pursued for many years in designing a dream home for his family on Lake Lanier. 

Never one for formality, Tom always introduced himself by his first name rather than “Dr. Francis,” although he was passionate about his career in medicine. After a couple of years working in Atlanta as a board-certified emergency room physician, he completed a second residency in anesthesiology, which he practiced until cancer forced him to retire. He enjoyed the challenges and variety of his work, with a highlight of his career being a trip to Peru where he worked with a medical team repairing cleft lips and palates of children in underserved communities.

Tom is survived by his wife, Angie, his children, Paul, Dan and Carla Francis, and son-in-law Brian Cooke, and stepchildren, Christopher, Brooke, Grace, and Carmen. He is also survived by his brother Jim (Jenefer) and loving nieces and nephews.

 A memorial gathering for family and friends will be held at the family home in Gainesville (2620 Parker Trail) at 2:00pm on Saturday, September 8, 2018. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Smile Train, a cleft lip and palate children’s charity (www.smiletrain.org). 

Online condolences may be made at www.hillsidechapelfuneralhome.com 

Hillside Chapel Funeral Home & Cremation Services 1190 McEver Rd. Gainesville, GA is in charge of arrangements.