Anna Marie Franke

Anna Marie (Scanlon) Franke passed away peacefully Thursday, February 25 at age 91 surrounded by her family. She is survived by her children Janet Dusselier (Marty), Tom (Suzanne), John (Martha), Susan, Michael, Cari Walsh (Tom), 16 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and her brother Larry Scanlon (Karen) and brother-in-law Bernie Beck. She was preceded in death by Jack Franke, her husband of 57 years, along with eight of her siblings and their spouses.

Anna was born in 1929 in Kansas City, the seventh of ten children to first- generation Irish immigrants Bernard and Margaret Scanlon in the height of the great depression. She had a certainty about her Catholic faith as a young child that never wavered. She attended Lillis High School and Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas. She met Jack, the love of her life, on a trolley on the way to a Benedictine football game. They married soon after college and began their family. Their love and devotion gave us all an enduring model of an ideal marriage.

Despite the demands of a hectic household, Mom and Dad led an active social life and maintained lifelong friendships. They were in a supper club with many friends dating back to college. They loved to dance, and it was not unusual for them to waltz among the toys strewn around the family room.

The joy and center of Mom’s life was her family. Her first thought in any situation was the welfare of her six children, the last four born in four years. She joyfully ran a household of eight with meticulous efficiency. There was a daily assembly line of school lunches and family dinners at 6:15 sharp. She was always the first to volunteer as room mom. She was a second mother to many. Mom tirelessly transported all six kids to all manner of activities from dance to music to sports. She was a wonderful first teacher of our Catholic faith.

Mom lived a full life, perpetually in motion. She was a wonderful cook and baker, using sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate lavishly. Then Dad had heart trouble and she pivoted 180 degrees, salt and butter forever banished as threats to her husband’s health (although a glass of wine with dinner was kept for good cheer). For big family events, she liked to sit in the “jump seat” closest to the kitchen to spring into action.

Mom was a lifelong student, intellectually curious, and always willing to help others. It was not unusual for her children and their spouses to receive an encouraging note with a neatly clipped article with the important parts highlighted in yellow. Mom was ahead of her time on many subjects popular today. We heard a lot about “left brain, right brain” growing up. She loved gardening and bird watching and the great outdoors. She could search out a garage sale and find you anything you needed.

Mom reinvented herself when the last of her six kids left the nest. She learned tai-chi and dabbled in new-age ideas, always climbing a new mountain to peek over the other side. She was a woman of determination and steely Irish strength amidst physical suffering later in life. She always asked after and was delighted to hear news of her children and extended family. She longed for loved ones lost and carried that longing with quiet grace and an assurance that she would reunite with them in heaven. Her joy is now complete.

Later in life, when Mom was ready to leave a family gathering, she would say “I’ll take my hugs now.” Rest assured that is a quote that is living on in the family and we hope that it will in yours too.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to St. James Catholic Church, the still vibrant community where Anna’s family grew up and Anna and Jack were married, would be much appreciated:

St. James Catholic Church

PO Box 30388

Kansas City, MO 64112