Frances E. Schwartz

Frances E. Schwartz died peacefully, surrounded by love, just shy of her 92nd birthday. Her passing was gentle, with family members and caregivers close by. She was born in Colorado during the throes of the Great Depression, and was about 7 years old when World War II exploded onto the scene. Her father, Oren, and her mother, Lodoska, did their best to provide for themselves and their 5 children during those tumultuous times; ordeals that forever influenced Frances. She was married to Robert L. Schwartz early in life, and gave birth to 2 children, Larry and Debbie. After Debbie’s premature death in 1998 and Fran’s divorce from Robert after 50 years of marriage, she moved back to Arizona where she lived out her life.

Frances worked until age 87, and was a stalwart, hard-working employee. She sometimes worked 2 jobs to achieve her financial goals. She loved to play blackjack, and there were multiple pilgrimages with family and friends to Las Vegas and Laughlin where hours were joyfully spent at slot machines and $2 blackjack tables trying to beat the odds (which she sometimes did). She had a green thumb, and was one of the few people to actually keep a Christmas Cactus alive for over 5 years. Fran was also amazingly adept at home appliance repairs. It was not surprising to see her laying on the floor under the kitchen sink working to repair a garbage disposal, or under a tilted washing machine to replace a motor. She loved her pets, and still grieved the loss of her favorite dog, Jasper, who died decades earlier.

She often referred to the past 2 decades as the best part of her life. Among others, she remained very close to her son Larry and his wife Karen, her sister Joyce, her sister-in-law Marilyn and niece Linda. A picture of her mom, Lodoska, was always prominent in her room. She greatly valued her grandchildren and the attendant legion of great-grandchildren, as well as the community of close friends developed during her 20+ years of employment with Walmart and long tenure in Sun City West. Her challenges with Alzheimer’s ultimately resulted in her residency at Tatum Glen, a family-oriented group home where the caregivers adored her and were consistently tender, respectful and attentive. Moving to Tatum Glen required that she find new homes for her cats of 11 years, Shadow and Pumpkin. Fran’s cat-sitter Staci (and family) and Lilia, the founder of a no-kill animal shelter named B.A.R.K., kindly helped with that sensitive task.

Instead of flowers and in remembrance of Frances’ life, the family asks that any charitable donations in her name be made to B.A.R.K. They accept donations by check, Zelle, Venmo or PayPal as follows:

B.A.R.K. – Address: 1919 North 200th Avenue, Buckeye 85396; Zelle: 6238263085; Venmo: Buckeye Animal Rescue Kennel; PayPal: [email protected]