Obit: Johnson, Frances (1916 - 2013)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Johnson, Liu, Stelmach, Clissold, Powell, Waggoner. Pawlak

----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co, WI) 8/21/2013

Johnson, Frances (6 February 1916 - 13 August 2013)

Frances Johnson, 97, passed away Tuesday, August 1, 2013, at West Oaks Rehabilitation and Health Care in Austin, Texas. A spreading of ashes will take place in Honolulu, Frances’ favorite place.

Frances was born on February 6, 1916, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She married Carl Johnson in 1934. There were married 73 years. In 1948, Carl brought the family to Wisconsin and bought a farm in the Town of Taft. In 1951, they bought the Thorp Dairy Bar, and Frances did all the cooking. Her pies were wonderful. They eventually sold the Dairy Bar to Leon Pawlak.

After restaurants in Eau Claire and Stanley, they bought the Richter Board House in Stanley, and again Frances did all the cooking. She later cooked and managed the kitchen for the Royal Hotel. Frances was also the site manager of the Senior Nutrition Center in Stanley for over 10 years. In her leisure time, Frances loved to garden. Long-time residents will remember her beautiful flower gardens. Frances also love to fish, especially with her children and grandchildren.

In retirement, Carl and Frances spent their winters in South Texas, eventually moving to Austin, Texas to be near their daughter Wanda.

She is survived by a daughter, Wanda (Gary) Stelmach, of Austin, Texas; one son, Carl (Beatrice) Johnson, of Springfield, Ohio; granddaughters: Debbie Stelmach and Mardi (David) Clissold, of Austin, Texas, and Kim (Doug) Powell, of Manitou Springs, Colorado; grandsons: Greg (Alicia) Johnson, of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, David (Lolly) Johnson, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Mark Johnson, of Springfield, Ohio. Frances is survived by one brother, Edwin Liu, of Honolulu; five great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Carl, in 2007; three sisters in Hawaii; one foster daughter, Shirley Waggoner, of Rockford, Illinois; and one grandson, Steven Stelmach, of Butler, Pennsylvania.