Dean Fransen

Dean Fransen, age 87, of Milaca, passed away Thursday, October 22, 2020.  Memorials are preferred to Zion Lutheran Church.

Please use this link to watch Dean's memorial service Click Here

Dean (Dorothy) Fransen was born July 14, 1933 to Carl and Anna (Ingman) Johnson.  She graduated from Milaca High School in 1951.  Her classmates remained friends and stayed in touch throughout her life.  She was a high school cheerleader and would laughingly break into her cheerleading routine every time she heard the school song played.  She married John Fransen on June 14, 1952 and they raised their family and loved each other until his death on October 8, 2019.    John and Dean built a home in 1956 and remained in that same home throughout their lives.  She relished her job as a wife, mother, and homemaker, and it showed.  The home she made for her family was one that was always warm and cozy, neat but lived in, and filled with love and laughter.  She was a wonderful cook and was known for her great rice pudding, fried chicken, scalloped potatoes, and Swedish rusks.  Though the home was important, so was making time for fun and friends.  She spent early mornings at coffee with her lady friends, golfed and bowled on leagues, skied, and loved fishing.  She was a woman of great faith with a kind servant’s heart.  She was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran, a member of the Altar Guild, Eunice Circle, and spent many hours in the kitchen at church serving wherever needed.   As a wife she was doting and devoted.  As a Mother she was strict but fair, proud and encouraging, and loved each child for their uniqueness.  As a Grandmother she was madly in love with each grandchild and great grandchild that was born.  She made them feel as if they were the brightest, most talented, most loved children in the world.  And it was easy, because she believed they were.  As a friend, she was loyal, loved to have fun, and was your friend for life.   She wasn’t one to travel much, afraid she would miss something back home.  She loved to watch her kids and grandkids in anything they participated in.  She spent many hours on bleachers and auditorium seats, rarely missing an event.  Dean was happy with the simple and unpretentious things in life. She loved a good cup of coffee with friends, a grandchild on her lap looking through the picture window, or an afternoon on the deck at the cabin.   Small things brought her great joy and it was rare to see her without a smile on her face.  A long life well lived.

Dean is survived by her children, Chris (Don) Howe, Mary (Andy) Rice, John (Renee) Fransen Jr., and Annie Fransen: grandchildren Emilee (Josh) Feneis, Megan Howe, Linnea Rice-Epsky, Erin (Jacob) Pinch, Travis (Paige) Fransen, Justin Fransen, Matthew Fransen; great grandchildren Lilly Epsky, Quinn Epsky, and Leo Feneis; sisters Joan Van Grinsven and Joyce Bouma, and brother Paul Johnson, many nieces, nephews and friends, especially her dear friend Sandy.

She was preceded in death by her husband John, parents, brothers Bob, Bill, Curt, and Jerome, and sisters Ethelyn, Shirley, and Lois.