Our mother, friend and lovely character “Fran” passed away peacefully on January 25, 2023, with family and her faithful dog Sadie at her side.
Fran was born in Powell River on March 8, 1934, to Frank and Jessie Flett. She was predeceased by her husband Dave Forsythe and her older sister Norma Smith (Powell River). She is survived by her younger sister Doreen McGuire (Penticton) and her four children whom she loved without exception: Yvonne Anderson (Tom) of Powell River, Maxine Nakoa (Kepa) of Keaau, HI, Ian Forsythe (Jean) of Edmonton, Alberta, and Hamish Forsythe of Nelson, BC. She was celebrated as ‘Granny Franny’ to seven grandchildren. She also remained intently connected to many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Fran and Dave, with their two young daughters, moved from Powell River by train to the USA in 1960, first stopping in Beloit, Wisconsin, then spent five years in Wrentham, Massachusetts, where two sons were added to the family.
California came calling as they were looking for young engineers to work in the newly developing Silicon Valley. She resided in Palo Alto for over 50 years.
Fran loved the climate and the life she made for herself between her needlework and selling smocked dresses. She rode her bike everywhere and eventually converted to a three-wheel recumbent bike with a basket on the back to shepherd Sadie home when she grew tired of walking on a leash just clear of the side wheels.
She remained interested in her painting in different mediums, but mostly focusing on watercolour, taking courses and workshops to perfect her technique. For work she taught many children and babies to swim then moved on to registrar’s mailroom supervisor for Stanford University until retirement in 1999.
Fran was kept busy with the smocking group, SAGA and Canadian Women’s Club in the Bay area. She had never given up her Canadian citizenship and announced at 81 (as none of her close family were living in the area) that she was moving back to her hometown of Powell River and sharing her final chapter with her sister Norma.
She bought a lovely waterfront property and spent her final years admiring her view and the everchanging ocean, catching sight of the whales, dolphins, birds and boats that frequent the waterways. She would often marvel at the big and little tugboats, always fascinated by their constant bustle.
Being forever curious, she went to several lectures with the Naturalists learning about different things in the area. Her family loved coming to share her home on the water. We are all happy to have the legacy that she has left us and we can come together to share memories of our mother’s time on this earth.
The family is forever grateful to the nurses and care aides at Evergreen ECU for making her time there the best that it could be. She LOVED her weekly soak in the bath. Thank you to Dr. Barrie McDonald for the care and guidance while she was in Powell River. Thank you also to Home Support, Dawn and Susan for supporting her so she could remain in her home as long as possible.
Always curious, creative, engaged and dared to be a little outrageous…a life well lived.
