In Memoriam: HML teacher and UTD steward Daniel Francia

Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High School (HML) social science teacher Daniel Michael Francia passed away at his home on November 8 due to complications from diabetes. Formally of Massena, New York, the Miramar resident was 57 when he passed.
Francia was born on July 26, 1961, to Irene Trombley Francia and Michael J. Francia Jr. He attended Massena Central High School.
After graduating in 1979, Francia attended St. Lawrence University, where he earned a bachelors degree in history, a minor in philosophy and his New York state teaching certification. Francia graduated from St. Lawrence in 1983, and did his graduate work at Fordham and at St. John’s University in New York City. During his college days, Francia worked at Alcoa in Massena, representing the fourth generation of his family to work there.
Francia began teaching in 1984 in Robstown, Texas, where he worked in private schools until he moved to the Miami-Dade public school system in August 1989. While he was teaching in Robstown, he met and married Carol Beaudette on December 8, 1987. They were married for over 30 years.
Francia, an educator for more than 30 years, was a firm believer in unions. He came from a family that was able to provide higher education for him, because of hard fought union benefits. For years, he served the United Teachers of Dade County (UTD) as a designated shop steward. He fought hard for union benefits, and also volunteered as an Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC) member for his school for many years. Francia was also a fourth degree Grand Knight with the Knights of Columbus and served as the financial secretary. He was loved and respected by his HML students and staff.