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June 23, 1930 - October 3, 2019
Fran was born in North Vancouver on June 23, 1930; died at Eden Gardens on October 3, 2019 after a long fight with the demons of Alzheimer's.
Fran was predeceased by her soul-mate Dean (2011), her mother Miriam, her sister Cherie, her nephew Marty, and her son-in-law Geoffrey Kim Blaney. Fran is survived by her daughters Leigh (Blaney) and Kim, and her sons Bruce (Wanda) and Greg, as well as her grandchildren McKenzie, Austin (Normand), Lucas, and Mariah, her daughter-in-law Jennifer, and her dear friend and companion Mary Kirkpatrick.
Fran embraced life wholeheartedly, overcoming a number of adversities before partnering with Dean to become a proud and outgoing wife, mother, Nanny, and community volunteer. Mom volunteered with (to name a few) Meals-on-Wheels, Literacy Nanaimo, SPCA, and as a cub leader.
Fran's greatest joy was her family; she was so very proud of all of her children and grandchildren, and loved to hear about sports, school, work, or any activity/event that involved her family; she particularly loved the playground and kite-flying with her grandkids.
Fran was willing to try anything and one of the highlights of her life was a trip to Australia with Dean after his retirement; she enjoyed snorkeling, diving, cuddling a koala, and meeting/greeting new people.
Fran would talk to anyone and had such an engaging spirit that others would gravitate towards her; her friends in the 'Sewing Club' remained connected for many years.
Due to advancing Alzheimer's disease Mom moved into Travellers' Lodge. In over 60 years together, this was the first separation for Fran and Dean, and although Dean fared badly because he missed her so much, Fran ultimately adapted to her new home, making many friends, and finding love and support from the caring staff.
Mom was a friend to animals, and enjoyed horses, Siamese cats, and the dogs that she & Dean had as companions prior to her move to Eden Gardens; lately she enjoyed visits from the resident cats particularly Chaos who snuggled and purred around Fran's neck.
We would like to thank the staff at Travellers Lodge/Eden Gardens for their many years of service to Mom - you are awesome people and we appreciate you partnering with us and Mom through the many transitions of the demon dementia. Thank you so very much.
Please come to a celebration of Fran's life to share memories, laughs, and all things uniquely Fran on Friday October 11 at 1 pm at First Memorial Chapel, 1720 Bowen Road, Nanaimo. Reception following.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Eden Gardens Nanaimo, the Alzheimer's Society of BC - www.alzheimerbc.org, or North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre - www.niwra.org.

Service Details

Celebration of Life
Friday, October 11, 2019
1:00 PM
First Memorial Chapel, 1720 Bowen Road, Nanaimo


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