Frances Ellen Carlson

Frances Ellen Kukal was born in the small town of Bolivar, MO, near Springfield, on March 17, 1931. She was one of five children; she had four brothers, one of them being her twin. She attended a one-room country school and four years of high school. Frances was very active in school activities, including Band and Glee Club. She spent ten years in 4-H where she learned to make her own clothes. Her first store-bought dress was when she was a senior in high school.

After high school, Fran attended the School of Fashion Design in Kansas City, MO, for 4 years. While attending college, Fran worked summers for Macy’s and Klines department stores.

She was the assistant designer for “Strook Coats” and Fox Manufacturing Co., where she designed women’s dresses. Fran also taught night school for foreign students in Fashion Design. In Fran’s senior year, she won “Best Design of the Year” at the annual fashion show with a cocktail dress.

After college, Fran and three girlfriends had a dress shop on Broadway in Kansas City, designing and making dresses for women.

On a trip to Colorado to work at a resort for the summer, she met her husband-to-be, so her life took a change. Fran married Stener John Carlson on July 31, 1954 after only 7 dates. Stener was in college at CSU in Fort Collins finishing his senior year. Fran worked at Jullian’s dress shop as a saleslady and window decorator. One would have to say ‘selling’ was her thing, which began when she worked at the local Ben Franklin 5 & 10 store on weekends.

They spent one year living in Lawton, OK while Stener was in the Army. From Oklahoma, they moved to Climax, CO, where Stener worked for the Molybdenum Mining Co. Fran continued sewing and designing costumes for the local bowling alley friends, her children, and herself. They lived in Climax for seven years, where they started a family with three children, Susan and twins Brad and Bart. After a tragedy of losing their children in a fire, Stener and Fran were able to trust in God and continue living a life of love and happiness with their two sons, Stener Jr. and Kenny.

Life led them into the hotel business in 1964. Fran was back to sewing, decorating rooms, and selling. They did very well in their business, and when a guest came into the motel, they were ‘sold’ a room.

Within a year, they purchased another motel down the street in Walsenburg, CO. While in Walsenburg, Fran became a P.E.O. member. Two years later, they purchased a 35-unit Best Western Motel in Kearney, NE, and then purchased the 42-unit motel across the street. The new Interstate came through Nebraska, taking business away from Highway 30, where their motels were located. Stener and Fran built a 72-unit motel at the Interstate and sent business to their other two motels.

Stener and Fran worked great together. Stener was handy at building and maintenance while Fran was the face of the business and loved talking with customers.

In their business, they met many wonderful people! It was a challenge for Fran to make that ‘grumpy’ person who came in to rent a room leave with a smile on their face. They had many stories to tell in their business; Arthur Fielder and his entire orchestra stayed with them, as well as Hank Thompson, Kenny Vernon, and many western entertainers.

From Nebraska, they moved back to Loveland, CO, to the RJ6 Ranch, where Fran and Stener spent the next 50 years. They had a bunk house where Fran ran a Bed and Breakfast for the P.E.O. organization for 10 years as well as guests, relatives, and friends. Together, Stener and Fran boarded horses and put up hay.

Fran and Stener loved to travel. They enjoyed cruises to Alaska, a trip through the Panama Canal, as well as trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Canada, and the US from coast to coast.

In 1989, Fran entered her grandmother era. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, Page, Camden, and Brooke. Fran loved spoiling her grandkids and spending time baking and cooking for family, sewing them clothes and blankets, fishing together, and teaching them to play card games. Later, in 2018, Fran was able to do all this again with her great-grandchildren, Blair, Bodie, Pi, and Rosie.

Fran was a member of the Lutheran Church, Faith Circle, Bridge Club, and a 60-year P.E.O. member. When she wasn’t busy with the motels and her other organizations, Fran enjoyed spending time with her family. Fran was often found in the kitchen baking or cooking for the people she loved, in the sewing room working on a new project, at the lake fishing, in the garden tending her beautiful flowers, or playing card games with family and friends.

After her husband of 69 years, Stener, passed away in 2023, Fran continued staying active playing cards with her friends at Hillcrest and enjoying time with family. Fran joined her husband and 3 kids in heaven at the age of 95 on July 22, 2026.

Fran would say to enjoy what you’re doing, be sincere to people, and thank the Lord for your success and health.

Frances Ellen Carlson is preceded in death by her husband, Stener; her parents; 3 brothers; a daughter, Susan; and 2 sons, Brad and Bart. She is survived by her twin brother Roy, sons Kenny (Linda) and Stener Jr. (Jackie), Granddaughters Brooke and Page (Lawson), Grandson Camden (Angela), and Great-Grandchildren Blair, Bodie, Pi, and Rosie, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.