Frances Joan Dunaway

Frances Joan Dunaway (Galati) was called to heaven on April 27, 2022 at the age of 74 in Colorado. She was born June 6, 1947 to Rocco Galati and Sophie Ubich. The middle of three children with older sister Lucille Galati and younger brother Rocco Galati. Growing up with Sicilian and Polish roots, she not only found a love for music, delicious food, and fantastic parties, she also was taught how important it is to cherish family.

Frances was a talented musician, she loved to play her accordion and volunteer to do so for events and at nursing homes. She enjoyed gardening and taught herself how to paint beautiful watercolor flowers. She loved hula dancing and flamingos. She loved to capture all of the memories that meant so much to her, you would almost always find her with a camera in her hand at any important events. She loved entertaining and was the family’s designated birthday cake maker and special dinner provider. Fran was a big Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos fan, always celebrating both teams. A survivor of breast cancer, she actively participated in events to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

She traveled to beautiful places, she loved sunsets in Hawaii and the crystal clear water in The Bahamas. She lived in Wisconsin, Colorado, and North Carolina, enjoying the beautiful landscapes from the midwest, to the mountains, to the ocean.

A dedicated and loving wife, mother, and grandmother, there was nothing more that she loved doing than being surrounded by family. Her love for her family was an umbrella that covered all extended family and friends. She was never a stranger to anyone, all it took was one conversation and you were her friend for life.

She is survived by her husband, Keith Dunaway, daughter Cheri Northrup (husband Charles), son Kurt Dunaway (wife Murun), grandchildren Jani Stern, Dale Cox Jr, Kyle Northrup, Charli Northrup, Alex Dunaway, step grandchildren Victoria Northrup, Christian Northrup, Trenton Northrup, brother Rocco (Kathy), her cherished nieces and nephew, and many other family members and beloved friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her older sister, and others who she loved and missed so deeply. (Including her sweet boy, a Shih Tzu named Zeke)

She will be remembered for her beautiful smile and laugh, warmth, immense kindness, excessive generosity and thoughtfulness, and her ability to offer anyone and everyone she met such a fierce amount of love. She touched many lives and will be greatly missed.

In Lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation https://www.bcrf.org/ or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/, both causes that she donated to and meant a lot to her.