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Frances Anna Ann Vosahlo Smith
03/05/1929 — 03/09/2006
From Kennewick, WA, US | Born in Elk, Washington
Frances Anna Ann Vosahlo Smith
Frances Anna Ann Vosahlo Smith was born March 5, 1929 in Elk, Washington to Josef and Filomena Vosahlo. Frances was the youngest of seven children: five brothers Joe Jr., Henry, Frank, Fred, and Pete and one sister Mary, all of whom preceded her in death. Frances lived on the family farm in Camden, Washington until moving to Spokane, Washington to attend Lewis and Clark High School, where she graduated in 1947. She graduated from Sacred Heart Nursing School in 1951. While at Sacred Heart she met the love of her life, Charles Chick Ellis Smith and they were married August 25, 1951 in Sacred Heart Parish in Spokane, Washington. The newlyweds honeymooned in the Canadian Rockies and moved to Kennewick in 1952. Frances reared six children in addition to first working as a Registered Nurse at the Moore Mansion nursing home and then 28 years of night shift in the OB ward at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Pasco, Washington. Frances helped bring thousands of new lives into the world until retiring in 1991. She was awarded Employee of the Year in her final year of service with Our Lady of Lourdes. In between rearing six beautiful children, working at home as a homemaker and nights as a registered nurse, Frances found time to enjoy many of life's special treasures. Frances and Chick enjoyed travelling throughout the United States in their motorhome, visiting all 50 states. She also enjoyed travelling abroad to England, Panama, and the Caribbean among many other places. Frances enjoyed walks on the beach and agate hunting on the Oregon Coast during annual family camping trips to Beverly Beach. Frances also enjoyed birdwatching, gardening, family games and cards with the grandchildren, picking huckleberries, puzzles, arts and crafts, shopping, and cooking for the entire army of family members. She never lost the love for the family farm in Camden, which she visited often. Frances was actively involved in square and round dancing, having served many positions with Chick at the state and national levels, including State President in 1982-1983 and National Leadership Chairman in 1981. Frances also received the McGregor Award in 1988 for promoting square and round dancing. Frances volunteered at the Tri-City Cancer Center and American Heart Association and was an active member of the St. Joseph's parish in Kennewick. After a long bout with cancer, Frances passed away on March 9, 2006 with her family by her side. Frances, even in illness, put others needs and concerns ahead of her own. Frances leaves behind her husband of 54 years, Chick; sons Steve Cherie of Kennewick; Timothy of Kennewick; Patrick Terry of Kennewick, Mark Julie of Spokane; and twins Mary Schierman John of Kennewick and Jeff Tammy of Kennewick. Frances is also survived by nine grandchildren: Brianne, Lindsey, Paul, Stacey, Megan, Ben, Emily, Kayla, and Blake. Frances will always be remembered as a gracious, caring, and giving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. God has received a saint.
Rosary service will be at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, March 15 and Requiem Mass will be at 1:00 PM, Thursday, March 16 at St. Joseph's in Kennewick, Washington.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Frances Smith to the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice, 2108 W Entiat, Kennewick, WA 99336, or the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation, 7350 W Deschutes Bldg A, Kennewick, WA 99336.
Bill and I have so many fond memories of Frances. We met through square dancing. We remember one Leadership Seminar that we went to and our motorhome was parked next to theirs and we decided to try to “get” Chick and Frances in bed and played a recording of a train just outside their bedroom window. Lo and behold, it was only Frances who was shocked as Chick was in the livingroom watching us through the window!
Another time was in Quartzsite, AZ. Frances and Bill & I went together and bought a “wooden gold shaker”. We were going to find gold. After much sweat, tired backs and muscles, we went back to Bud and Ida’s with nothing but tales of a great time together.
We parked Chick and Frances on my cousin’s lawn in Ft. Worth, TX and it rained. What a hole the jacks made when we left….
Another time we were in Branson with the Smiths and Pat & Margaret Streamer. We had been going to some shows and they kept introducing tour groups so… we named our little group “The LSS Tours”.We put our name in as a tour group and when they asked us to stand, everyone started laughing when they saw that there were only six of us. We all stood and bowed. What fun we had.
And then there were the wild card games. “Down the Tube” was the favorite. Chick and Bill were so competitive. That was “a good game” was the response from Bill everytime he won.
Frances was a very loving, wonderful lady. She loved to cook and to fix desserts. She will be missed, but we are so glad that she is no longer in pain.
Chick, we love you and will see you soon. Steve, Tim, Pat, Mark, Mary and Jeff, we love you and your families and have been privileged to be a part of yours. Love to you all.
Frances was not only my sister-in-law, she was also my godmother and matron of honor at my wedding. She was always loving and caring to my family. We spent most of our summer vacations visiting with the Smith family. She will leave a vacant place in our hearts but she will never be forgotten. We know she has a special place in Heaven.
Lyle: Frances and I always called ourselves the outlaws of the Smith family. She will be surely be missed by me.
Chick, I am so sorry. She was a special person, indeed, and will be sorely missed by so many! God be with you now in the weeks and months ahead as you press on. Much love.
Venetta
THE LAST TIME I VISITED WITH AUNT FRANCIS WAS AT DADS FUNERAL.SHE WAS ALWAYS THE SAME, SWEET,JUST LIKE HER MOM.MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU UNCLE CHICK AND YOUR CHILDREN, LOVE PATTY
I didn’t know Frances personally, but heard many stories of her and Chick through Tim. Tim, you and your family will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. I am so glad you were able to be there with her.
Take Care.
Karen
Timmy,
You and your family have my deepest condolences. Having gone through this myself not too long ago, I know the deep pain you are going through. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think of and miss my Mom. I know your Mom was glad to have you home with her and I am so glad you got to spend this time with her and your family. You will become an even stronger family as a result. Love you, Donna
I enjoyed going to school with Frances from the Third to Eighth Grade Class of 1943 which was the largest Class in Years. There was Framces, my sister Etta and myself. I also remember helping her dad milk cows so that Frances could attend 4-H Club meetings at our place a half mile North of her home thru the woods. I also remember her surprising us at my moms funeral in 1989. She was a wonderful person to grow up with.
Elbert Pillers
Tim,my prayers are with you and your family.
Aunt Frances
Was a super person if you didnt know her. During the summer my family and I vist my aunt and uncle what summer we had
Love you all Cathy
Dearest Chic, We will miss Frances very much, she was a wonderful person with the biggest heart in the world. You take good care of yourself. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
The Thing I will always remember most about Frances was her warm smile and sweet nature. She was always someone that you could feel comfortable around & I’ll never forget that. Our warmest thoughts and prayers go out to the Smith & Vosahlo families.
I know Aunt Francis will be missed by all who knew her. I haven’t seen her in many years but what I remember as a young person is that she seemed that she was so calm & pleasant to be around. She had a special easy going attitude which very few people acheive in life. Our prayer is that the family be comforted in this time of loss.
Bill and I have so many fond memories of Frances. We met through square dancing. We remember one Leadership Seminar that we went to and our motorhome was parked next to theirs and we decided to try to “get” Chick and Frances in bed and played a recording of a train just outside their bedroom window. Lo and behold, it was only Frances who was shocked as Chick was in the livingroom watching us through the window!
Another time was in Quartzsite, AZ. Frances and Bill & I went together and bought a “wooden gold shaker”. We were going to find gold. After much sweat, tired backs and muscles, we went back to Bud and Ida’s with nothing but tales of a great time together.
We parked Chick and Frances on my cousin’s lawn in Ft. Worth, TX and it rained. What a hole the jacks made when we left….
Another time we were in Branson with the Smiths and Pat & Margaret Streamer. We had been going to some shows and they kept introducing tour groups so… we named our little group “The LSS Tours”.We put our name in as a tour group and when they asked us to stand, everyone started laughing when they saw that there were only six of us. We all stood and bowed. What fun we had.
And then there were the wild card games. “Down the Tube” was the favorite. Chick and Bill were so competitive. That was “a good game” was the response from Bill everytime he won.
Frances was a very loving, wonderful lady. She loved to cook and to fix desserts. She will be missed, but we are so glad that she is no longer in pain.
Chick, we love you and will see you soon. Steve, Tim, Pat, Mark, Mary and Jeff, we love you and your families and have been privileged to be a part of yours. Love to you all.
Frances was not only my sister-in-law, she was also my godmother and matron of honor at my wedding. She was always loving and caring to my family. We spent most of our summer vacations visiting with the Smith family. She will leave a vacant place in our hearts but she will never be forgotten. We know she has a special place in Heaven.
Lyle: Frances and I always called ourselves the outlaws of the Smith family. She will be surely be missed by me.
Chick, I am so sorry. She was a special person, indeed, and will be sorely missed by so many! God be with you now in the weeks and months ahead as you press on. Much love.
Venetta
THE LAST TIME I VISITED WITH AUNT FRANCIS WAS AT DADS FUNERAL.SHE WAS ALWAYS THE SAME, SWEET,JUST LIKE HER MOM.MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU UNCLE CHICK AND YOUR CHILDREN, LOVE PATTY
I didn’t know Frances personally, but heard many stories of her and Chick through Tim. Tim, you and your family will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. I am so glad you were able to be there with her.
Take Care.
Karen
Timmy,
You and your family have my deepest condolences. Having gone through this myself not too long ago, I know the deep pain you are going through. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think of and miss my Mom. I know your Mom was glad to have you home with her and I am so glad you got to spend this time with her and your family. You will become an even stronger family as a result. Love you, Donna
I enjoyed going to school with Frances from the Third to Eighth Grade Class of 1943 which was the largest Class in Years. There was Framces, my sister Etta and myself. I also remember helping her dad milk cows so that Frances could attend 4-H Club meetings at our place a half mile North of her home thru the woods. I also remember her surprising us at my moms funeral in 1989. She was a wonderful person to grow up with.
Elbert Pillers
Tim,my prayers are with you and your family.
Aunt Frances
Was a super person if you didnt know her. During the summer my family and I vist my aunt and uncle what summer we had
Love you all Cathy
Dearest Chic, We will miss Frances very much, she was a wonderful person with the biggest heart in the world. You take good care of yourself. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
The Thing I will always remember most about Frances was her warm smile and sweet nature. She was always someone that you could feel comfortable around & I’ll never forget that. Our warmest thoughts and prayers go out to the Smith & Vosahlo families.
I know Aunt Francis will be missed by all who knew her. I haven’t seen her in many years but what I remember as a young person is that she seemed that she was so calm & pleasant to be around. She had a special easy going attitude which very few people acheive in life. Our prayer is that the family be comforted in this time of loss.
My aunt will be greatly missed by all..I did not know her very well but she had all the kindness traits of her mother. She was a great person.
Aunt Francis will be missed by all. I got to see and visit with with Uncle Chick and Aunt Francis and even a few of the children not to long ago. Out prayers are with Uncle Chick and the children as we know how much she was loved.
Remembering the smiles Aunt Frances always had on her face. We will truly miss these smiles.
What a privilege to have known Frances Anna Cecilia Vosahlo Smith. She will forever be walking the beach with us, we will think of her everytime we have wet feet and sand between our toes! Love Ed and Pat
Frances was more like a sister to me than an aunt. We shared our high school years at Lewis and Clark and summers at the farm in Camden. I will always have fond memories of those times together. Besides being a really good person and a great friend, she had an unusual knack for “getting along” with and seeing good in everyone.
Bill
Although I came on the scene later, Frances was always a very special part of our lives. Her charity and generosity was unending. She set a great example and will be greatly missed by us all.
Barbara
Your moms kindness will be greatly missed.She always put others above herself.We always felt fortunate too have her as a neighbor and friend.
THE LOSS OF AUNT FRANCES WILL BE FELT BY ALL WHOSE LIVES SHE HAS TOUCHED THROUGHTOUT HER LIFE. oUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO ALL.
To our Dear Frances..what a lady! Even in her own waning time and “hurt”, she still thought of old friends…just last month she sent a “Thinking of You” card to Aleene….oh, how thoughtful. Yes, there isn’t a large enough superlative to explain Frances….God Bless You, and ‘save us a place in a “square”, “CORNER”..Our love to Chick and the kids.
Frances was loved by every one in our family,her marvelous smile when she saw you always made you feel important and so glad to know her. It seemed that her visits were over way too soon.
She was such a lovely person, I don’t recall ever seeing her in a bad mood, she had a smile every time she was around. I will miss her very much and can only imagine how very, very much you, Uncle Chick and your children and grandchildren will miss her. Condolences just don’t seem enough for such a great loss. Words just can’t express the sorrow that I know you are all experiencing, my thoughts and prayers are with all of you.I know that heaven is rejoicing for one of their own coming home.
My deepest condolences to you Uncle Chic, the kids, the grand kids, and the rest of the family. I wish that I could attend the services, but, as you know being in medicine, my schedule is so regimented, as Aunt Francis could have attested to. You are in my thoughts and my prayers. One of my most fondest memories of Aunt Francis is back from 1975 when you and the family visited us in San Diego. You and the family went to Mexico, but John and I had to stay back because we were not citizens yet of the U.S. Aunt Francis felt really bad for us. I will remember Aunt Francis with her warm and contagious laugh. I will remember her compassion, love, and empathy that she conveyed to her family and her patients. She will be sorely missed! God Bless all of you during this time. Love, Timothy Leopoldo Smith
To Tim and his family,
Please accept my deepest condoleances. I know how much mom was loved by all of you and I feel with you deeply for your loss.
Tim, for those of us who didn’t personally know your mom, you always made her come alive to us through your stories and your phone calls to her. The pain of losing a parent will always be with you, but there is no doubt in my mind that you will make her come alive by continuing to talk about her the way that you always do.
May the Light surround you and your family now and always.
Brenda
Frances was most kind, warm and gracious, I haven’t seen her in many years but in my childhood memories she always had a smile on her face and emanated a sense of warmth reflecting her caring nature. My condolences to Chick and all of the family, you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Frances was a beautiful woman and an inspiration to us all. She’ll always be in my heart and a wonderful part of my memories.
Tim
My deepest condoleances to you and your family. I am thinking about you and will light a candle for your mom.
All the best.
Rosette Den Dooven Brenda’s mom
Tim, I just read your mother’s memorial. She sounds like a wonderful lady and a great mom. I know that you and your family will miss her so very much. My thoughts and prayers are with you today and the days to come. Billie
Fran and I were prayer partners at the 9:00am Tues. time slot for eucharistic adoration. I miss her and think she had a kind and gentle spirit. May God bless her and please accept my sympathy.
It is often hard to fully understand why people are taken from us, but find comfort in knowing that Frances is with the Lord now and here memories will forever be in your hearts.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
An old Airlink Friend to Tim.
Thank you to everybody for their wishes, thoughts and prayers.
Time, they say heals all wounds; but time, in this instance, may take a little longer.
Mom:
Miss you, love you. Thanks for everything.
Chick – Frances was the kindest most caring person and a great cook – so much fun to dance with and always with a smile on her face. Much love to you and Mary Kay and John as well as the rest of the family. I know your memories of Frances will bring a smile to you faces every once in awhile. You and Frances have a real living legacy in your children.
Marilyn
With deepest sympathy and love. Tim, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Guestbook for
Frances Anna Ann Vosahlo Smith