Frances Mary Gould

NAME FRANCES MARY GOULD, age 92, of Elburn, passed away at Sandwich Rehabilitation Center, where she had recently made her home, on Saturday, June 26, 2010.BORN: She was born December 11, 1917, the daughter of Charles Bradley and Margaret Ann (Edwards) Keasler. EARLY YEARS:Frances grew up in the Big Rock area and graduated from Big Rock High School in 1935. Her favorite past time in school and church was singing and never was a moment missed when she and her sister Birdine could join their voices in song. OCCUPATION / WORK HISTORY:As a young woman, Frances would help out on the family farm. Following high school, Frances did various jobs cleaning houses and even plowed corn using horses and mules for a neighbor, a job, she said, some local men couldn’t handle. MARRIAGE: She was united in marriage to Norris H. Gould on June 30, 1937 in Plano, IL. RESIDENTIAL HISTORY: They began their new life together at her aunt’s house in Big Rock before moving into the upstairs apartment of the Lewis family home where they began raising a family. They would make their home in Sugar Grove for a time in 1938 before moving to the Elburn area, finally settling in a house of their own that was built by Norris, family and friends. After the youngest of their seven children began Kindergarten, Frances began cooking at various restaurants including Fisherman’s Inn, Little Traveler, Carlson’s and The Diner, a restaurant in Geneva owned by Glen Bateman. She baked and made taffy apples at home for few years at the Gould Orchard and spent ten years working as an inspector for Furnace Electric before spending time at home specializing in "domestic engineering".MEMBERSHIPS: Frances was a member of the Village Bible Church in Sugar Grove, IL. LIFE NOTES: Frances was born with a song in her heart and spent the rest of her life sharing her voice with friends, family and on the piano, organ, and ukulele. In later years, when mind and body were failing, Frances could still share her musical visions at the nursing home. In younger years, Frances loved to play softball where she had the reputation as a fearful hitter. She also spent many years dealing out the cards for competitive games of 500 and taught her sons to play poker, sometimes winning their paychecks, though she always gave them back. Board games also were brought out during family times. Her skills in the kitchen were unrivaled. From pot roast and pork chops to homemade bread and fabulous pies, everyone loved coming to her house to eat. In addition to being a grandma to her grandchildren, she also was "grandma" to all the children who came to her home where her daughter ran a day care center. It never mattered how little she had, she made the most of what she was given and was grateful for all the blessings in her life. SURVIVORS: She is survived by seven children;Norris (Arlene) Gould Jr. of Plano, IL, Roger Dean (Sandi) Gould of Geneva, IL, Larry (Rita) Gould of Elburn, IL, Timothy (Robin) Gould of St. Charles, IL, Steven (Faith) Gould of Naperville, IL, Thomas (Marilyn) Gould of Elburn, IL and Cynthia (Kerry) Kane of Big Rock, IL;Eighteen grandchildren: Tammy Gould,Greg (Denise) Gould,Michael (Michelle) Gould,Todd (Tina) Gould,Jeff (Sandy) Gould,Jenni Siebert, Michele Munoz,Shauna Gould,Andrew Gould,Joshua Gould,Jennet Allison,Benjamin Gould,Katie Gould,Kenny Gould,Peter Gould,Lauren Gould,Zachary Kane,Dawn Gould (wife of the late Jason Gould) Michelle (Mike) Sheahan Mike Craft Melissa Riggs Sixteen Great-grandchildren:Gregory, Daniel;Amanda, Dustin, Brianne, Michael,;Elizabeth;Abigail, Caleb and Seth ;Alex, Ryan, KristinJustin, Eric, and Nichole;Ashley, Zack and ChelseyMatt and MichaleTwo sisters:Patricia (Paul) Holinka of Phoenix, AZ, Charlene Davis of St. Charles, IL and Four sisters-in-law, Alice Keasler of Geneva, Karen Keasler of Los Angeles, CA, Mary Mitchell of Bradenton, FL, and Helen Johnson of Elburn, IL;Many nieces, nephews, cousins and a family of friends. PRECEDED:She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Norris Sr., two brothers, William Edward Keasler and Bradley Keasler; two sisters; Birdine Allen and Shirley Jensen, one grandson Jason Gould.VISITATION / FUNERAL Visitation will be from 5-8p.m., Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL. A funeral to celebrate her life will be held Thursday, July 1, 2010, at the Elburn Community Congregational Church, Elburn, at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at Kaneville Cemetery. MEMORIAL A memorial has been established in her name to benefit her favorite charities including the establishment of music scholarships in her memory. Checks may be made to the "Frances Gould Memorial" and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may also be forwarded to the same address or on the web at www.conleycare.com.

Visitation will be from 5-8p.m., Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL. A funeral to celebrate her life will be held Thursday, July 1, 2010, at the Elburn Community Congregational Church, Elburn, at 11 a.m.

Interment will follow at Kaneville Cemetery.