Steve & Kathie Francis

Steve and Kathie first visited FHYR in 2017 when their son, Joshua, and his family took up residence at the Ranch.  Josh had been accepted by the board to teach as the new English teacher at Hope Academy and as a Youth Services Worker. In 2021 Kathie added Education Administrator to her duties at the school. As Steve and Kathie looked toward their upcoming supposed retirement, both felt that God still had work for them to do as His servants.

Steve is a graduate of Calvary University (1975) in Kansas City and Kathie graduated from Biola University (1972). She has taught English in public schools in Oregon and California for about forty years. Steve had pastored a couple of churches before serving as the Protestant Chaplain at a California, maximum security, men’s prison for twenty years before retiring in 2014, due to medical reasons. Kathie retired from public service in June of 2019 and they packed up their belongings, sold their house in Imperial, California and joined the staff as full-time volunteers in August of that year.

They have four adult children, three of whom are married with children giving the senior Francis’ eight grandkids. For the first five months that they lived here, they were in the RV park in a 35 foot, Class A RV.  A few days before Christmas, they took delivery of a 399 square foot, Park Model Tiny House that is now in Space 1 in the RV park here at Flying H. 

Kathie has stepped in to teach some of the English classes, freeing up her son to do the work as Family Services Director. She also helps with the accreditation process and curriculum planning. Steve is assisting the program of FHYR wherever he can, bringing his chaplaincy experience and training to interactions with our boys. He cherishes the time, like taking them to doctor appointments where he can spend time with them one on one. Kathie became the Head of School (principal) at the start of the 2021-2022 school year

Steve says, “This summer it has been our privilege to be the host to two groups of volunteers that stayed in the park.  It was a joy to assist them with the whys and what-fors of the park and what was available to them while they were here.  We look forward to hosting future groups.The