style="text-align: justify;">Francis R. Quis, Sr., 94, of Southern Pines died Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at First Health Moore Regional Hospital after a brief illness. He was born in New York City on November 4, 1917, the son of Frank and Anna Carr Quis.
style="text-align: justify;">A service will be held at 4:00pm Friday, August 17th at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines, NC. A graveside service will be held at Salem Cemetery, Winston-Salem at 10:00am on Friday, August 17th.
style="text-align: justify;">A Colonel in the United States Army, he served in both World War II and the Korean War, primarily in G-2 Intelligence operations work. In World War II he served in the Pacific. In the Solomon Islands, he took part in the Bougainville campaign. He also took part in the campaign to recapture the Philippine Islands, joining the assault on Luzon and ultimately the liberation of Manila. He assisted in the planning for the invasion of Japan and was among the first Americans on the Japanese island of Honshu. His military service citations include the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.
style="text-align: justify;">In 1943 he was married to Virginia Maslin of Winston-Salem. After the war the couple settled in Statesville, N.C. where he started Quis Machinery, an industrial woodworking machinery distributorship, which continues to operate. He served as mayor of Statesville and was active in the Rotary club for 35 years.
style="text-align: justify;">In 1988 the Quises moved to Southern Pines where he was a member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Kiwanis Club. In 1999 they moved to Penick Village. In 2007, at the age of 89, he started Project Able, a non-profit organization aimed at helping wounded soldiers and their families from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
style="text-align: justify;">A devoted husband, he was predeceased by his wife, Virginia, to whom he was married for 67 years. He is survived by his son Frank Quis, Jr. and his wife Missy of Southern Pines, as well as grandchildren Virginia Sloan and husband Stewart, Roberta Fox and husband Brian, and Randolph Quis, and two great grandchildren, Elizabeth and Eleanor Sloan, all of Charlotte, NC. His sister, Jo Ann Bennett resides in Simi Valley, California.
style="text-align: justify;">Memorials may be made to Fort Bragg Fisher House (serving military families in time of medical crisis), 12 Bassett Street (Bldg 1-5905), Fort Bragg, NC 28307, or to Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, 330 S. May Street, Southern Pines, NC 28387.
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