×

Carl Franklin Firley

Carl Franklin Firley

PALM CITY, FL – Carl Franklin Firley of Palm City, FL passed away on Sunday, November 10, 2019 at the age of 86.

He was born in Oak Park, Illinois and was raised in Brookfield, IL where he graduated from Riverside Brookfield High school and joined the United States Army. He furthered his studies with a Bachelors in Education from Illinois State Normal University and then continued his studies for his Ph.D. in Mass Communications at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

In 1964 he received a Fullbright teaching grant and spent two years in Finland where he met his wife Sirkka. He returned to Illinois in 1966 and worked as Dean of Student Programs and Services for the University of Illinois. Carl and Sirkka were married on November 19, 1966.

They lived in Champaign for three years where their two daughters were born. They moved to Marquette, MI in 1969 where their son was born and he became the Director of Housing for Northern Michigan University. In 1981 they moved to Palm City, FL. Carl was the Registrar & Foreign Student Adviser at Florida Institute of Technology in Jensen Beach until the school closed in 1986. He then settled in at Northwood University in West Palm Beach where he would stay until his retirement.

Carl was predeceased by a daughter: Aulikki, his brother John and his parents, Carl and Marthana.

He leaves behind his loving family: wife of 53 years, Sirkka Firley of Palm City, FL; daughter: Sinikka Firley-Goldberg and her husband Gary of Palm City, FL; Son: Carl Firley and his wife Stephanie of Candler, NC; Brother James Firley of Wildwood, FL; grandsons: Viktor Goldberg and Anthony Goldberg of Palm City, FL.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 2 p.m. at All County Funeral Home & Crematory , 1010 NW Federal Hwy, Stuart, FL 24994.

Arrangements entrusted to All County Funeral Home & Crematory – Treasure Coast Chapel.