Frances Kraft

February 11, 1928 - February 13, 2013

Frances was born in Robinson, Illinois, on February 11, 1928. She was the second child of Ira and Edna Thomas. As her father advanced through the management organization of the A & P grocery company the family lived in several different cities in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1949, Frances taught English and Spanish at the high school level.

Frances married 2nd Lieutenant Don Kraft, a career Army officer, on June 6, 1953, in Danville, Illinois. She then dedicated her life to being a homemaker for Don and their children. She accompanied her husband as military assignments took them to Germany; Charlottesville, Virginia; Livermore, California; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Fort Richardson, Alaska; Norfolk, Virginia; and Washington DC. In each of these areas Frances was an active participant in the Officers’ Wives Clubs and other service organizations. When Don served unaccompanied tours in Korea and Vietnam, Frances and the children lived first in Illinois and then in Virginia. After retirement from the Army, she and Don had one more overseas adventure in Brussels, Belgium, where Don served in the U.S. Mission to NATO from 1988 to 1991.

Frances and Don made Springfield, Virginia, their retirement home. In recent years Frances has been an active volunteer at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, where she has accumulated 1,393.5 hours of volunteer service. Frances is a trained Master Gardener and a gourmet cook. She is a member of the Kate Waller Barrett Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her 3rd great grandfather fought with General Washington at Trenton, Brandywine, and Germantown and survived the winter encampment at Valley forge.

The family celebrated her 85th birthday before Frances died peacefully at home on February 13, 2013. In four more months, Fran and Don would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. During her last days she was attended by her husband, children and grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Owing to the large backlog of burials, Frances’s burial at Arlington National Cemetery will be delayed for several weeks. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to honor her memory with a contribution to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. That association has owned and maintained General Washington’s estate since 1858 and does not accept funding from the government. Please address your contribution to the Mount Vernon Development Department, PO Box 110, Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121, and indicate that it is to honor the memory of Frances Kraft.