Frances Fran L. Thompson

Frances L. Thompson was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Frances was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Fran would set about immediately to create it.

Her parents were Alfred & Cecelia Wiley. Fran was raised in Carbondale, Kansas, and was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Fran was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

The positive atmosphere that Fran generated spread to her family. She was raised with one adopted, younger sister, Shirley. Fran served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Fran was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Fran's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. Fran's memorable achievements included a spelling award in the 7th grade.

When it came to academics and school, Fran's organizational skills reaped dividends. Fran was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She graduated from Carbondale High School in 1941. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was math. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Edna Perry. Fran was a good student & loved her studies.

The work habits and approaches to studying that Fran utilized in high school also served her well in the business school she attended in Topeka, KS. Fran always seemed on a quest for knowledge. She was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for her classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Her favorite courses were typing and bookkeeping. Fran was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. She pursued business school in Topeka, KS. Her favorite courses were typing & bookkeeping. . She also joined the Nurse's Aide Corps as part of volunteer special services for the American National Red Cross in July 1945. She had a great group of friends both in high school and when she went to business school. She kept in touch with them for many years after they went their separate ways.

In a group of friends and acquaintances, Fran was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Fran the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Fran. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Fran also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were her cousins especially her cousin Jeanne Hollis. Jeanne & Fran traveled the world together when Wilson decided he no longer wanted to travel and Fran just had to see and explore and learn more. In her early married years, she became friends with Warren & Mattie Jean Petty and Verl & Norma Griffith. They were just a part of a very close group of friends that shared many activities together. These friends were also part of a very special church group at the First United Methodist Church in Wichita, KS. She visited with both of these friends as recently as 2007.

As Fran knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. Wilson Dale Thompson was a significant part of her life, and it was not necessary for Fran to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Fran's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

Family and children were important to Fran. Fran was blessed with two children, one daughter Sandy, one son Larry. Larry passed away of cancer when he was 17 years old. They were also blessed with two grandchildren, Gabriel & Natalie, three great-grandsons Selasi, Zane, and Duncan. Fran was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. She rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Fran was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Fran was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Fran might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was secretarial work with railroad and aircraft industries. She was employed for many years both with Rock Island Railroad and Gates Lear Jet in Wichita, KS.

Not only did Fran find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were anything that you could make using your hands. She refinished trunks and had antique shops highlighting her trunks in both KS and CA. She loved quilting and belonged to several quilting groups. She organized the crafts group for the newly established Grand Terrace Senior Center and provided projects on a weekly basis for more than 5 years. She loved being around people and also played bridge and bingo at the senior center. Fran was an active member of Delta Theta Chi sorority and received her 50 year membership award at their 2007 National Convention in Wichita,where she originally joined the group. She held chapter and province offices throughout those 50 years. She was also an active member of the Grand Terrace Woman' Club for approximately 15 years, and still attended meetings as late as February 2010. Her real hobby, though, was to spend time with her grandchildren. Even before she moved to CA to help with after school baby sitting, she did everything she could to spend time with them. She either came to California to visit them or had them flown to Kansas to stay with her. She and Wilson took them to their cabin in Grand Lake for a week one summer. Not only did she dedicate that entire week to entertaining them and teaching them things, she took photos and the grandchildren took home a scrapbook of their activities. This scrapbook included the children's own notes and impressions of what they had done. Once she got to CA she was always coming up with ideas to make their stay at her house after school more fun. They had club house, a hopscotch grid painted on the driveway, a basketball goal, and a chinning bar, just to name a few. Of course, many of her ideas required some engineering help form Wilson.

Fran was a woman who took pride in upholding her beliefs. When she became active in community affairs, she did so in the same determined and forthright manner that she applied to other aspects of her life, serving on committees for the Grand Terrace Woman's Club and the Grand Terrace Seniors.

Fran lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. She was a member of the United Methodist Church for over 60 years and is currently a member at Highgrove United Methodist Church. When she joined Highgrove UMC, she immediately began participating in every available activity, including a newly formed quilting group. She even helped paint the church annex walls when she was really too old to be climbing up on a ladder, but she felt they needed her help.

Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Frances to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included Fiji, Spain, Japan, and Hawaii. She loved to travel and went to many events for her sorority that were held out of state. She even attended their National Convention in Palm Springs in 2009 when she required a walker to move from event to event.

Fran was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Fran's favorites was Punk, but she loved all animals. As a young married woman she had a black cocker spaniel named Peppy, and bought a mixed bred for her grandchildren (or that was her excuse) whose name was Punkin or Punk for short. They were best friends for over 15 years. Several neighborhood cats knew that Fran would take the time to give them love and pet them if they would just stop and meow at her back door.

When Fran's retirement came in 1982, she was well prepared. She had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what she was going to do. Her new life involved relocating to Grand Terrace, CA and spending time with her beloved grandchildren. In retirement, she found new pleasure in staying active in any way she could. It didn't matter what it was as long as it was fun, she got to be around people, and/or it helped others. Always a well-informed person, Fran enjoyed adding to her wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded her the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer her.

Fran passed away on June 29, 2010 at Crème Brule Nursing Home in Grand Terrace, CA. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease for many years, and it finally took its toll on her in 2010. She is survived by daughter, Sandy and her husband Don; grandson Gabriel and his wife Eva and their sons Zane & Duncan; granddaughter Natalie and her husband, John Degbor, and their son Selasi. Services were held at Montecito Mortuary Valley View Chapel on Monday, July 5, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.. Fran was laid to rest with her husband, Wilson, at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA.

Frances L. Thompson knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Fran was decisive and outspoken at times, but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize, and implement a plan.

Arrangements under the direction of Montecito Memorial Park & Mortuary, Colton, CA.