Mrs. Frances "Fran" Louise Jones

On April 22nd, 2021, much-loved wife and mother Frances Louise Jones passed from this existence on to her next adventure. Fran was born in Vancouver BC, 79 years ago, the only child to Alice Elizabeth and John Stewart Hucks.

Fran’s passing was swift, and sadly she struggled at the end with heart, kidney, and lung problems that arose quickly and caused a cascade of health issues that her small body could not overcome. Even with the incredible help of the Lionsgate Hospital ICU doctors and nurses, she peacefully slipped away with her husband and daughter by her side holding her hand.

Fran is survived by her husband Lloyd Hillas Jones and her daughter Kristy Meredith Jones, and is also mourned by many other family members and friends who cared about her deeply.

Fran had a strong personality. She was always sure of herself and never missed an opportunity to lend her opinion on matters. She knew what she liked, usually had a plan for how to get it, and approached life with drive and determination. Fran also had a softer side, the side that could be silly, loved to laugh, teared up in sad movies about animals, and loved her family and friends. She was intelligent, articulate, resourceful, and beautiful.

Fran’s life was rich and full. As a child she treasured time spent with her parents and friends at a cabin on Shuswap Lake. Fran and her dad were very close, and they would spend hours together fishing from the boat, shooting rifles, tinkering with engines, and generally doing everything tomboyish. Fran and her mom shared a love of art and personal expression, and Fran would tell stories about the times they spent writing poetry, cooking, and reading together.

Fran loved her teen years at Kitsilano High School where she took part in track and badminton and further explored her love of writing and literature. She valued her high school friendships and experiences so much that later in life she joined her grad reunion committee to help with the organizing of events. Fran also kept in touch with many of her Kits High School friends right up to the end.

After graduating Fran entered the working world with the goal of saving to buy her first car. She succeeded, buying her white Triumph TR3 which became her pride and joy. Fran spent many happy days cruising in the TR3 especially to her favorite haunt, the Black Spot Jazz Club in Dunbar, Vancouver. Evidenced throughout her life was this recurring passion for music. Jazz, symphony, and rock and roll became staples to her, and she amassed quite the vinyl collection in her early adult years.

After a few years, the call for higher education soon followed. Fran became an alumna of the University of British Columbia, graduating in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science. Detouring from her young creative side, Fran’s studies made her realize that she was drawn to the biological sciences, medicine, and technology. Fran talked many times about how she might have gone into a career in medicine… life however had other plans for her.

Enter *Lloyd*. Fran was working a summer job at IBM when she spotted a handsome young man arrive at work in a grey Porsche. She took a couple of weeks to work up the courage to ask a colleague to introduce her to Lloyd… but soon after the rest was history. Fran and Lloyd were married eight months later May 18th, 1968. Their 51 years together saw many wonderful experiences, accomplishments, and successes, and of course, difficulties and hardships, but their devotion to each other and their commitment to teamwork never wavered. They loved each other through everything.

Fran and Lloyd made their first home together in North Vancouver, a townhouse on Hoskins Road. Here they grew and spent many years saving and planning for their future. Fran’s career path took her to ICBC where she rose to a fulfilling position as a database administrator, and she and Lloyd delved into their shared young wanderlust with trips around Europe in a Volkswagen camper van and to Expo 70 in Japan. They also explored British Columbia through backpacking and hiking trips.

Lloyd recalls the UBC guided Japan Expo trip in 1970, where he and Fran ended up feeling like celebrities due to crowds of Japanese approaching them for photos and autographs; the tall willowy blond and the dark handsome Beetles-looking man. Fran loved Saki, and you can find a lot of it in Japan. Fran and Lloyd would bring vats of Saki back to the hotel room, fill the bathtub with warm water, and float the Saki to heat it for drinking. These memories, of course are a little hazy.

Later in life Fran and Lloyd reignited their love of adventure and took trips to Mexico, Australia, The Galapagos, Costa Rica and Africa. In their forties they invested in a cabin up at a then still relatively unknown tiny ski town called Whistler. Fran learned to ski when she was young, so the cabin opportunity let them spend many fun weekends out of town skiing together and sitting in the pub apré ski. It was their home away from home for many years.

Fran made many meaningful connections and friendships during these times. A lifelong art lover, she discovered a passion for First Nations artwork and sculpture and formed lasting connections with some of the artists whose artwork she collected. An avid knitter and weaver, Fran and some close gals formed a knitting and weaving (read “bitching”) group, and they would meet at each other’s places regularly for artistic endeavors, wine slinging, and friendship. Fran maintained many of these connections to the end.

In 1979, three days before she was due, Fran retired from work at ICBC to have Kristy. Forty-seven hours of labour and an emergency c-section later, I bet Fran wished that she and Lloyd had not had that “hmm we better do this if we’re really going to do this!” (moment) the year before!

In the two years that followed, Fran and Lloyd realized a lifelong dream of building their own house having purchased bare land in West Vancouver many years prior. Lloyd oversaw the entire project and Fran, who always knew exactly what she wanted, worked on the interior design and decorating. In 1982, when Kristy was just three, they moved in to what would be home for the next 38 years.

Fran loved Kristy. Carrying on with her artistic roots, Fran enjoyed sewing beautiful clothes for Kristy which included young Kristy’s favourite pink dress, as well as jumpers, blankets, Halloween costumes, and eventually Kristy’s high school grad dress. I remember spending many hours with Mum in the kitchen, cooking, baking, and tasting all manner of fun and delicious things, most notably, ham and swiss pastry turnovers and jam tarts.

Mum wanted to give me every opportunity. I was enrolled in everything she could think of; ballet, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, badminton, skating lessons, swimming lessons, flute lessons, horseback riding lessons, skiing lessons, tennis lessons, long distance track, art classes, Brownies, and eventually Girl Guides… needless to say she wanted to make sure I was enriched… and out of trouble. But she also wanted us to share many of these activities. We ended up learning the flute and tennis together, she was a Brownie Leader and then a Guide Leader in my troops, and she dutifully ferried me around to all these activities, making sure I was participating, paying attention, and being successful, even when I didn’t want to. Mum also taught me about art, nature, birds, and animals. Out of everything that I had the opportunity to try, our shared love of animals was our strongest connection.

Fran had beloved cats over the years, as a teenager her beautiful Siamese George, and then later litter mates sleek black Jasmine and tabby Ambrose. Fran’s earlier years, like mine, also included horseback riding. She spent many long hours at the barn in Southlands riding and competing on her chestnut American Saddlebred gelding, Forrest Rex A, or Toppy for short.

Mum helped me buy my first horse, a black American Saddlebred gelding named Chigger, and later my beautiful Thoroughbred/Dutch Warmblood mare, Tilly. Mum was my pit crew and biggest cheerleader, always at every horse event I attended.

When I made the decision to leave the horse world, go to university, and start a career, I brought home a ball of furry black fluff that soon became the love of Mum’s life. Sisco, my Bernese Mountain Dog soon became *her* Bernese Mountain Dog and the two could not be separated. Through Sisco and all things Bernese, she developed a large group of international friends all connected through their mutual love of Bernese Mountain Dogs. Fran was a devoted member of Berner lists, forums, and groups, and traveled with Lloyd to numerous Bernese Mountain Dog specialty events over the years. She connected to many of her valued international friends at these events and was in contact with them all until the end of her life.

Along with that interest and those friends, Fran loved her fitness routine. She worked out at various gyms and was active for much of her life. In her later decades she and friends formed a lady’s gym and coffee group. They all kept the same schedule, meeting and working out on the same days and then going for coffee and chat. Fran really looked forward to their company. When Covid happened, Fran was devastated that this major part of her routine had to stop. Not long after, her health started to deteriorate.

Fran will be missed by everyone who knew her. She would not want anyone to be sad, but instead would prefer that we all raise a glass of wine to celebrate her and the long and rich life she had.

“Death is nothing at all . . . I have only slipped away into the next room . . . I am I and you are you . . . Whatever we were to each other that we are still . . . Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but ahead of you, . . . just round the corner. All is well. . . .”

– Abridged from “Death Is Nothing At All” by Henry Scott Holland - September 1909 –

In lieu of flowers, Fran would like donations to be made to:

SAINTS Rescue, https://saintsrescue.ca/donate

Saints is a local non-profit organization providing “a safe haven for senior, palliative and special needs animals.” – Quoted from SAINTS mission statement, SAINTS website: https://saintsrescue.ca –

Or…

The Kidney Foundation of Canada, https://kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/generaldonation/donations/start