August 26, 1938 - May 26, 2012
Frances Claire Huckabone Obituary
As children she cradled us in her loving arms. As she went home we cradled her in ours. Frances Claire Huckabone left this world on May 26, 2012 after her fourth battle with cancer. Born August 26, 1938 in Port Washington, NY to George and Helen Elliott, Frannie was the fifth of eight children in a very poor family. She often spoke of having a doll with missing limbs and one strand of hair, her Christmas gift of one page of a coloring book and one crayon, or eight kids fighting over one meatball. She also related stories of living in The Bronx and playing "stick-bawl", "stoop-bawl", and running the water from the pried-open fire hydrants. Whenever she told these stories, her New York acent magically returned.
When Fran was 16, the family moved from New York to San Francisco, CA. In 1956 she met and married Joe Sanders and they had five children. They divorced in 1980 and in 1982 Fran met and married the love of her life, Jack Huckabone, and gained three more sons. Over time she became an accomplished artist and crafter, working with many different mediums. She was a high averaging bowler for many years, until it became too hard for her. Friday nights were her and Jack's special nights to go to the casino, where she would play Keno and he would eat crab. Fran cherished her moments with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, teaching them art or telling them stories of her childhood. She and Jack loved to dance and would do so at any time, showing off their moves to the grandchildren. Oh, how those children loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. She always said that, though she was not wealthy, she was the richest person in the world. This very special woman will be greatly missed by all. Until we meet again Mom, we will watch for fairies and butterflies and think of you.
Fran is survived by her loving husband Jack; children Brenda (Michael) Foley, Dana (David) English, Dennis (Danette) Sanders, Dawn (Ethan) LeGrand--all of Spokane, Michael (Lori) Sanders of Redmond, WA, Greg (Valorie) Mitchell of Georgia and step-sons Timothy Huckabone of Seattle, WA, Marc (Kim) Huckabone of Maryland, and Matthew Huckabone of Monroe, WA; 25 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. Her surviving sisters and brothers are Grace (Jim) Schoeberl, Lucille (Benny) Bennett, John Elliott, and Thomas (JoEllen) Elliott. And we cannot forget her four-legged best friend, Angie. Fran was preceded in death by her parents and sisters Patricia, Sheila and Virginia.
The family would like to thank Dr. Chaudhry, Sacred Heart Medical Center, and Hospice of Spokane for the great and compassionate care given to Mom. A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 6:00pm at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, 6910 S. Ben Burr Road, Spokane, WA; Father Stan Malnar officiating. Please join us in celebrating Fran's life. Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital.