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Frances Mason

October 9, 2019
Mounds View, MN

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Age 93, of Mounds View, MN, died Wednesday, October 9, 2019. Fran was born on October 24, 1925, to Victor and Frances Williams near Postville, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa State University in 1947 with a B.S. degree in Household Equipment. After college, Fran worked and lived in various places including Missouri, Illinois, and Connecticut. She settled in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1975, until she moved to Minnesota in 2007 to be near her daughters. She lived first in Circle Pines and then at Bel Rae Senior Living in Mounds View. Fran lived an exemplary life in service to others. Fran's retirement from the City of Kalamazoo in 1991 opened new opportunities for world travel and community service. Fran was ever curious of other cultures and peoples. She was also compassionate towards those in need and was vehemently incensed that people were going hungry in a country of plenty. She made it her personal mission to support both local and international organizations oriented to feeding people. She raised thousands of dollars and volunteered thousands of hours for CROP Hunger Walks of Church World Service, Bread for the World, Feed My Starving Children, Meals on Wheels, Ministry with Community food pantry, and Loaves and Fishes food warehouse in Kalamazoo. She also found time to tutor young children, support new immigrants, volunteer at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and tend a section of garden in the city's main park. In 2004, Fran was recognized with the Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement award in Kalamazoo for her dedication and breadth of service that has profoundly influenced the community over her lifetime. Fran was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo and then Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minnesota. Fran is survived by her daughters, Anne (Lewis) Kamiri and Martha (Don) Martin; grandchildren Karen (Jon) Buser, Janet Kamiri, Ross (Katie) Martin, and Carl (Anna Olson) Martin; and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother, Frank Gates Williams of Monticello, Iowa, and her former husband, Grafton Budd Mason of Kalamazoo, Michigan. A memorial service will be held at Incarnation Lutheran Church, 4880 Hodgson Road, Shoreview, MN 55126 on October 25, 2019 (visitation at 10, service at 11 followed by lunch). Interment of her ashes will be at a later time. Memorials preferred to Incarnation Lutheran Church, Ministry with Community (500 N. Edwards St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007) or Ralph Reeder Food Shelf (2544 Mounds View Blvd., Mounds View, MN 55112). Fran inspired all who knew her with her positive attitude, her genuine appreciation for all that she had, and her unselfish service to others.