Frances A. Marcus

January 7, 1956 - December 26, 2021

This is the story of Frances Alsing Marcus. Fran was a wonderful woman who was loved, is missed, and

will always be cherished by her brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.

Fran was an aspiring actress and playwright whose life started with adventure and mystery. She was

born on January 7, 1956 in Okinawa, Japan where her father Edwin Alsing was stationed in the Air Force.

Growing up in the small town of Waldwick, New Jersey her brothers and sisters would tease her that

maybe the babies in the Okinawa hospital were switched at birth and Fran was really a Japanese

princess brought home to the States by mistake. Fran graduated from Waldwick High School in 1974

and went on to attend Ramapo College where she majored in Theater and graduated in 1978 with BA in

Fine Arts. Her siblings remember her love for the classic movies on Turner Classic Movie Channel,

especially the ones with Bettie Davis. Her brother Peter witnessed her passion for acting seeing her

perform in a Ramapo college play—The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds.

Fran pursued acting upon graduation and appeared in off-Broadway plays. To pay the way, Fran used

her typing and computer skills at a travel agency and then at some prestigious firms such as Smith

Barney, Bear Stearns, Paine Weber, Merrill Corporation, Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank. After the

financial crisis in 2010, Fran moved to Phoenix to be near her mother Angela whose health was declining

and found employment as a senior document processor and legal workflow coordinator for RR

Donnelley.

Fran always retained her love for acting and writing. She often entered annual short story writing

contests. She never won but she enjoyed the challenge of writing them and imagining herself perform

in the lead role. To her siblings Fran was always “the actress.” As Fran’s favorite, Bettie Davis said, “Life

is the Past, the Present, and the Perhaps.” Thanks Fran, for being our mysterious princess brought home

from Japan and being part of our lives!