Caryl Ann Francis - Niedens

Born August 28, 1968, in Hays, Kansas, she was the daughter of Robert Francis and Carla (VonFeldt) Detherage. She spent the first few years of her life in Ellis County, Kansas, then moved to Ellinwood, Kansas, before moving to Great Bend, Kansas. She graduated from Great Bend High School in 1986, Barton County Community College in 1988 and the University of Kansas in 1993 with a B.A. in Interior Design.

Caryl began her career in interior design/architecture and facilities management with Schooley Inc. in Independence, Missouri. She later worked with Faciliteam, Inc., and served as lead designer for the executive suite in a tenure with Sprint Corp. Later, she led various development projects at Church of the Resurrection in Overland Park, Kansas.

A Certified Facility Manager, Caryl also led corporate relocations for Applebee’s Restaurants, the Kansas City office of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Kansas City headquarters of the General Accounting Office, among others, as a project manager with FMExtension. A longtime member of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), she also assisted the interior redesign of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. Since 2019, she had worked as an office and facilities manager with Hallmark Cards and Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Caryl’s career resume, however, does little to define her best qualities: She was a wonderful wife, mother and friend. She was devoted, honest, loving, feisty, loyal, beautiful and dedicated to good causes. She was a unique and kind individual. No one can replace her. All should replicate her example.

Caryl’s survivors include her husband, Lyle; her sons, Conley and Pierce; and her sister, Lisa Francis. Her father, mother, stepfather, Coyle Detherage and sister, Lori preceded her in death.

A celebration of Caryl’s life will take place 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, January 4th, 2025, at Church of the Resurrection - Wesley Covenant Chapel, 13720 Roe Boulevard, Leawood, Kansas, 66224. Please join us to share memories and remember her bright smile, engaging laugh and warm heart.

Those wishing to send memorials in Caryl’s honor can direct them to research in the Department of Neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation or The University of Kansas Cancer Center.