Frances Elizabeth Totten

Born in Granger, Texas in 1923 as Frances Elizabeth Turner to Vera and Reid Turner. She and her six siblings endured the hardships and poverty of the Great Depression. The family rented a plot to grow vegetables and fruit, purchased a milk cow to sustain the children, and picked cotton for meager wages. Frances survived both scarlet fever and diphtheria as a child. She was a graduate of Long Beach Poly High School in 1942, having moved to California to live with her Uncle Bill and Aunt Eileen Hair.

In 1946, while visiting a friend’s home in Long Beach during a two week change of duty from the Army Air Force, William Totten was introduced to Frances. After a 14-day whirlwind courtship, they were married and set off on a 62-year adventure. William’s duty assignments in the Air Force took them to Salina, Kansas; Hickam Field in Hawaii; Oxnard Air Force Base in California; Chateauroux, France; Glasgow Air Force Base in Montana, and finally back to California. During their world travels they managed to raise a family, and Frances also worked at Seaboard Finance Company in Long Beach, California; Kansas State Employment Service in Salina, Kansas; NATO Supply Center in Chateauroux, France; and the Maulhardt Equipment Company in Oxnard, California.

Frances was a long-time resident of Novato, having moved there in 1970 with her family after William was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base. She lived in the same house on Hayes Street for nearly fifty years, only recently relocating to Petaluma to be closer to family. While living in Novato, Frances worked at Wayne Cross Ford in San Rafael, retiring in 1986.

Frances was loved by all for her sense of adventure and precocious personality. She made friends easily and was always someone that her family and friends could depend on. Even in her nineties, she was driving herself and her friends around Marin. She stayed active in her community through her involvement in the United Methodist Church, the Vintage Vamps of Novato Chapter of the Red Hat Society, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), and the Novato Senior Center. She enjoyed playing bocce ball at Miwok Park and attending other social events. She also loved hosting friends for games of Mahjong or Bunco, and having her grandchildren over to play and swim.

Frances is survived by her son Bradford (and wife Ingrid), son Paul (and wife Jennifer), daughter-in-law Nancy, eight grandchildren: Turner, Molly, Christopher, Kristi, Traci, Emily, William and Rory, and five great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband William in 2008 and son Gregg in 2012.

A Memorial Service for Frances will be held at Valley Memorial Park, 650 Bugeia Lane in Novato, California, on Saturday December 3rd, 2022 at 10:30 am. This will be followed by a Luncheon to honor and celebrate her life at Perry’s Novato, 225 Alameda del Prado in Novato, California, at 12:30 pm. All who knew and loved Frances are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Travis Fisher House, 100 Bodin Circle, Travis AFB, California, 94535 (707) 423-7551. Donations can be made online at the foundation website at: https://connect.fisherhouse.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=1.