SKEWIS, Frances Lena (Smith) 1921-2012

SKEWIS, SMITH, MEREDITH, FRANK

Posted By: Diane M Scott (email)
Date: 8/3/2014 at 18:03:38

Frances Lena (Smith) Skewis – September 17, 1921 – September 21, 2012

Frances Lena Skewis, one of seven children, was born September 17, 1921 in Doon, Iowa. Her brothers Jess, Bud, Glenn, and Art, and her sisters Marion and Evelyn all preceded her in death.

Fran started school at the age of four and was so bashful at that tender age, she could barely respond when spoken to. That shyness gradually diminished as she grew older. She excelled in sports and was an avid basketball and softball player in high school.

She graduated from Rock Rapids High School in 1938 and immediately went to work as a waitress at Doty’s Café in Rock Rapids. A bit later she worked at Nick’s Restaurant, and during the walk to begin her day’s shift, she would pass by the lumber yard where Jim Skewis was employed.
Jim won her heart. They married in 1939.

Fran really liked to say that her life’s true adventure began when she, Jim, and infant daughter Nancy drove from Iowa to Washington in the winter of 1942. They left the day before gas rationing began and were engulfed by a snow storm the whole way. She always loved “that fine Washington rain,” which she experienced for the first time as they came over Snoqualmie Pass, out of the snow, and into North Bend.

She and Jim settled in Seattle, where Jim had a job at Sand Point Naval Air Station. They had two more children, a son Greg, and a daughter Marsha. When the children were old enough, Fran returned to school. Her secretarial skills were phenomenal: she typed over 80 wpm, with complete accuracy – and this was in the day of manual typewriters.

She held a variety of positions with the State of Washington, spanning a career of 26 years. Her favorite job was as a legal secretary with the Attorney General’s Office, from which she retired in 1979. There was never a day when Fran did not want to go to work. She LOVED her job.

She also loved salmon fishing, clam digging, playing pinochle, and square dancing. She and Jim enjoyed traveling in their camper, and later in their motorhome. Eventually they spent winters in Salton Sea, California, and summers back in Washington.

Jim’s ill health finally required that they return permanently to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to some of the family. Fran cared for Jim for several years in their home. He passed away in 1989 and she adjusted to her solo life.

Fran started journaling extensively. Always eager to help others, she became a volunteer at Everett General Hospital and earned her 1000-Hour Pin.

She also kept in shape by walking several miles daily. She joined daughter Marsha in a 5K fun run and won first place in her age class.
She went on to compete in several events through the years, including the Seattle Komen Race For The Cure. The race she loved the most was the Fairbanks, Alaska Midnight Sun Run, where she joined daughter Nancy, son-in-law Russ, and grandson Eric in 10K worth of fun. She won first place in this event three years in a row – and yes, there were other entrants in her age category89.

Fran developed a passion for traveling and enjoyed cruises to Hawaii, Alaska, the Caribbean and to the Panama Canal. Ever the adventurer, she joined the cruise ships’ on-shore excursions, including a rigorous climb to a famous waterfall in Panama.

She regularly flew to North Pole, Alaska, in the fall to help her daughter Nancy prepare her classroom for a new group of first graders. Fran loved to see new places, meet new people, and most of all, to be of service.

In addition to journaling, Fran wrote a few short stories and several poems, two of which were published locally. She was especially thrilled to attend a poetry convention on the West Coast in 2008.

Seven (almost eight) years ago Fran met a newcomer at her church. Since that first morning worship service, Norm Sammons was Fran’s constant companion and best friend. Norm and Fran belonged to two coffee groups. They were active in YMCA water aerobics, the Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society, and the WA State Public Employees Union. They enjoyed dining and gambling at a variety of casinos in Nevada, California and Washington. But they definitely considered the Snoqualmie Casino (near North Bend, Washington) their “home.”

Fran remained living independently in her apartment in Bellevue, WA where she had resided for the last 16 years. She received excellent palliative care through Evergreen Hospice.

Fran’s physical heart gave out just 2 week shy of her 91st birthday. But the generosity of her emotional heart continues to bless all those who knew her. Fran’s physical heart gave out just two weeks shy of her 91st birthday

Barton Family Funeral Service, Seattle, Washington, September 20, 2012
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Frances Lena Smith was born in Doon, Lyon County, Iowa on September 17, 1921, the daughter of John W Smith and Marie (Frank) Smith.

She married James Lincoln Skewis, the son of Frank Spensley Skewis and Daisy Dean (Meredith) Skewis. He was born February 12, 1918 in Richland, Lyon County, Iowa and died May 15, 1989 in Snohomish, Snohomish County, Washington.