Fran was a sweet, genuinely caring woman with a great sense of humor and a wonderful friend.  I knew her for 44 years, first as a social worker at County Mental Health, then as a helpful friend.  She was both interested and interesting, always contributing meaningfully in her conversations and work.  Sadly, health issues restricted her in later years, but she remained undaunted and loving.

My mom's FIRST name is spelled incorrectly as well as her grandson's FIRST name!
Francis is the male spelling.. her name is Frances and my son's name is Kelsey.

Not sure how my brother got that wrong.

Also my mom was born on Feb 15th, the day after valentines day! Lot of errors in her obituary

My favorite memory of my childhood was having a picnic with my mom. We would go up in the redwood trees at UCSC, the beach or a park. San Lorenzo Park was a nice family place in the 70s. We would go there to feed the ducks and have a picnic on a blanket. This was my fav time in childhood with my mom.

I worked with Fran for many years, and she was certainly dedicated to her social worker role and a fixture in the acute mental health care world for many years.  She always spoke with much love towards her family, the heart of her life. RIP Fran!

Back in the mid-1970s Fran and I were in a relationship. I was getting ready to embark on an adventure hitchhiking across the US. Fran gave me a journal and encouraged me to write about my experiences. Now almost 50 years later I am still a faithful journaler, and I have Fran to thank for that. I'm now writing my memoir, and those old journals are an invaluable asset.