Francine Gayle Fawcett

10/2/1934 ~ 2/6/2023

Francine Gayle Fawcett was born on October 2nd, 1934 in Reno, Nevada to Frank Albert Luwe and Rena Ethel Smith. Francine was the second of three children. She had an older brother Jack and younger sister Trena. Growing up, she played games with neighborhood children and spent days at her grandmother’s home sharing stories.

She graduated from Reno High School in 1952 and went to college at the University of Nevada-Reno graduating in 1957 with a degree in Elementary Education. It was there she met her husband, Stanley Anthony Fawcett. Although Stanley was smitten, Francine took her time to come to the realization that Stanley was the man she would spend her life with. In August ‘57, a few short months after graduation, they were married. They were later sealed together in the Mesa Temple on April 28th, 1962 .

Together they had three children–Stancine Brenna Fawcett, Stanley Edward Fawcett, and Ronald Shawn Fawcett. They moved frequently as careers and personal goals changed. Their journey took them from Nevada to California, Arizona, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Colorado before eventually settling in Billings, Montana for the final years of her career. During her travels, she earned her Master’s Degree at Northern Arizona University in Psychology. She would spend the majority of her career as a teacher for elementary school students impacting hundreds of lives as she helped her students learn and grow.

She retired in 1997 to Holden, Utah to be closer to her family. There she devoted herself to gardening. It was a common sight for milk cartons cut in half filled with soil and budding vegetables to be found on her windowsill through the early months of the year before she could transfer them to her greenhouse. From the greenhouse to the garden, the yearly harvest was always plentiful supplying her with preserved fruits and vegetables for months and years to come. She persisted in pulling weeds day or night even at the age of 86.

She was stubborn and fiercely independent. She was snarky and could outwit the best of them. She loved to eat even when she couldn’t taste and cook even when she didn’t know what the spices were for. She was a woman of faith serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Tonga with her husband and finding ways to serve her community daily. She raised dogs and considered her pets her children always ensuring they received all the attention and love she could afford them. She focused on the little things and endeavored to live life her way, even if she knew it wasn’t the easiest path.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, her husband, her son, and two of her grandchildren. She would carry the grief of loss of her youngest son, Ron, in a car accident in 1985 for the rest of her life. She cared deeply for her family and devoted many of her thoughts to how she could help them better themselves in a complicated world. She is survived by her sister, two children, eight grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren, and her dog.

Francine Gayle Fawcett passed away in the morning on February 6th, 2023. It is impossible to sum up a life as well lived as hers in a few short paragraphs. She was a truly wonderful woman. She was loving, supportive, and kind. The world feels emptier without her in it, but heaven will welcome her with open arms. Words cannot express how dearly missed she will be by all those who knew her.

Funeral service will be held Saturday February 11, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. in the Holden Ward Chapel. Viewing will be held Saturday from 11:30-12:30 prior to services at the church. Interment in the Holden Town Cemetery.

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