Frances Alberta Mccarthy

July 29, 1934 - August 20, 2016

Frances Alberta (Knespel) McCarthy, 82, of Grand Junction, CO, passed away on August 20th, 2016.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 2:00 on August 30th, 2016, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Grand Junction, with Father James Plough officiating. Interment will be at the Crown Point Cemetery following the Mass. Recitation of the Rosary will be at Immaculate Heart of Mary preceding the Mass at 1:30.

Frances was born in LaSalle, Colorado, on July 29, 1934. She graduated from Greeley High School and continued on to receive a business certificate in Omaha, NE.

She was married to Henry Louis Prebish in 1953 for 20 years. To that union, four children were born, Dianne, Joan, Mike, and Tom. They lived in Kersey and then Greeley. In 1974, she married Lt. Colonel John Frederick McCarthy (USAF, Ret). They were married 30 years and lived in Montrose and then Grand Junction.

Frances retired from Saint Mary's Hospital after 25 years as a medical transcriptionist and team leader. She enjoyed nature, reading, gardening, philosophical conversations, and her dog, Kita.

She passed away after long illnesses. She was at peace with her life, family, and faith. She was loved dearly and will be greatly missed.

Frances is survived by daughters, Dianne Prebish of Grand Junction; Joan Prebish of Lafayette; son, Tom (Jody) Prebish of Aurora; daughter-in-law, Jill Prebish of Scotland; brother, John(Vicki) Knespel of Greeley; sisters, Mary (Dave) Droegemueller of Kersey; Pat (Bill) Young of Emlenton, PA; six grandchildren, Daniel, Jennifer, Josh, Scott, Casey, and David, and eight great-grandchildren, Ryan Michael, Lara, Sara, Christian, Peyton, Avery, Desiree, and Jordan.

Being Frances

By Joan Prebish

In the Beginning

Frances “Fran” McCarthy was born in her paternal grandmother’s home on Sunday, July 29, 1934, the first of five children belonging to Berthold “Al” and Helen Knespel of LaSalle, CO. She grew up during one of the most challenging times in American history – the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II. Like many children of that generation, she was given adult responsibilities early on to keep house, cook, and take care of her siblings. It was during that time she learned the value of hard work and making the best of each situation. When the chips were down, you could depend on her to say, “Every cloud has a silver lining,” “Make do,” and, “This, too, shall pass.”

Early Years

That’s not to say her childhood was all work and no play. Frances had a gypsy spirit and set out on adventures early in life, starting with the time she left home with food wrapped in a handkerchief tied to a stick. When she was older, she walked barefoot seven miles along the railroad tracks from LaSalle to Kersey to visit her best friend, Eileen. By the time she was a teenager, she was climbing out of the attic window at night. The search for adventure was in her blood and became a common theme throughout her life.

Education

Frances attended 1st through 9th grade at LaSalle Public School. She and her siblings were taught catechism at home by a Catholic nun. Frances attended Greeley High School in the early 1950’s, when girls wore sweater sets and saddle shoes, and swooned over Elvis Presley. Frances graduated in 1952 and went on to earn a business certificate in Omaha, NE. At that time, the US was at war with Korea. She lived in a rooming house and earned spending money by assembling care packages for soldiers. Frances completed the program early so that she could return to Colorado to be closer to Henry Prebish, a US Army private she had met while in high school.

Married with Children

Frances and Henry were married at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Greeley in 1953. While Henry completed his service commitment at Camp Carson in Colorado Springs, she lived with her widowed father-in-law on a farm outside of Kersey. He taught her how to make bread and introduced her to Polish humor. She was a quick study on both accounts and became a phenomenal cook.

When Henry returned, he took a job at his father’s liquor store in Kersey. Henry and Frances’ first home together was a two-bedroom apartment in the back of the store. Their first child, Dianne, was born in January 1954, with Joan to follow soon after in December of the same year. Their first son, Mike, was born in 1956, a day after Frances' 22nd birthday.

In 1958, they built a four-bedroom house in the town of Kersey. Their youngest child, Tom, was born a year later. This was a time when gas was .25 a gallon. Three out of five families owned a car; two out of three had a telephone (a party line, of course); and, one in three had a black and white television. Despite the pressure to live life like Ozzie and Harriet, weekends were filled with family get-togethers, camping and fishing trips, country drives, drive-in movies, arrowhead hunting, and rattlesnake hunting – events made more memorable by the festive picnics that Mom packed. She was very creative and made each holiday special, especially Halloween. Mom took us on nature walks and taught us to sing, bake cookies, make chains out of clover, find animal shapes in the clouds, and gaze at the stars.

The City

A new phase of life began in 1965, when the family moved to Greeley. In came Women’s Lib and out went June Cleaver and her pearl necklace. It was a challenging time for society and no one was unaffected. Frances went to work at State Farm Insurance and the kids reluctantly adapted to city life. After 20 years, Henry and Frances divorced.

The Western Slope

In 1974, Frances married Lt Col John McCarthy, a wonderful man who shared many of her interests. They moved to Montrose and began the start of 30 happy years together. They loved the outdoors and spent most of their time exploring the Western Slope in “Barney,” a green 4WD International Harvester Travelall. When not on some off-road adventure, Frances worked as a transcriber at the hospital.

They eventually moved to Grand Junction and immediately fell in love with the area and the people. Frances continued her career at St. Mary’s Hospital until she retired early to become John’s caregiver. He passed away in 2003, the same year her mother died.

In 2005, Frances travelled to Scotland with Joan to visit her son, Mike, and his family. She had two wonderful days with him before he passed away unexpectedly. She was able to spend many heartwarming days with his extended family and experienced how he lived and was loved.

In her final years, Frances and Dianne shared a beautiful home in Grand Junction with Kita, their little Chihuahua who was their constant, adoring companion.

In Closing

Mom planted her garden so that in the moonlight, the scent of the roses would drift into her bedroom on a breeze that would rustle her curtains. And she would listen to the mourning doves sing her a lullaby. Sweet dreams, Mom.