• Fab Fran

  • Memorial site for Fran Deminion

A creative as well as an intellectual, Frances Ann Deminion is, and will forever be a legend in many people’s hearts and memories. Lets use this space to celebrate this wonderful woman and share your own personal stories, memories, photos and videos for all of us to enjoy!

Many things may come to mind when you think of Frances (or Franny or Fab-Fran or Mum – depending on who you were to her). Her green thumb, her collection of pens and art supplies, her awesome ability to put on canvas some beautiful things with those art supplies, her penchant for journaling, her faith and relationship with Jesus, or her hospitality and good food or complete lack of pretentiousness.

This legend was born on April 8th, 1951 to Thomas and Olga Deminion of Larchwood, Ontario. She lived a relatively short life of 69 years that started on a beautiful farm on Highway 144, and ended peacefully in the arms of her much beloved children Bruce and Krista in the Sudbury Hospital ICU. As well as her children, she is survived by two brothers, Daniel and Michael, two sisters in law Angie and Leslee, a niece and nephew Lila and Robert and two great nieces Sydney and Destiny.

Frances lived a life of constant growth and learning – her work ethic possibly attributed to being a farmer’s daughter. She was a graduate of Cambrian College and had worked for lawyers and in government based administrative assistant positions until her retirement a handful of years ago. Frances was always in the middle of a class or project and didn’t sit idly by unless an injury or illness struck her. Even then she would assume that was her God telling her to “Be still and know that I am God” and would use that time to learn and grow. She had an inspiringly sunny outlook on life to the very end and was always willing to share that light and lend a new perspective to anyone drawn in by her radiant glow. One of her favorite sayings was “I wish I were a glow-worm, a glow worm’s never glum, how can you be sad when the sun shines out your bum!”

There were many lives that Frances touched including family, friends, church congregations, 12 step program goers, writer’s and artist’s guilds, dancing groups, and even her children’s circles of friends. She will be profoundly missed by innumerable people around the world. She was a generous and loving soul, and we can all still learn from the way she lived and thought.

Faith played an integral part in Fran’s life, and she considered herself the “daughter of the King”. She always used to say that she knew that her father loved her, and that she was safe in his care. She was kind, supportive, true to herself and always strove to follow God’s will. In her last few days she kept repeating that “I have been everything that was needed and done everything that I was meant to complete!” She had faith enough that she felt she was never actually alone and is believed to have left this world with peace in her heart.

She traveled a good bit, but also enjoyed living vicariously through her beloved children and their many adventures. She was always supportive (even when logic would dictate she shouldn’t be). She repeated many times to her children the phrase “Do what you think is best!” and without judgement gave unwavering love, support and help in many forms regardless if their decisions turned out to be poor or messy. Both Bruce and Krista agree that they were very lucky to have a mother as fantastic as Frances.

Frances was known to dance to the beat of her own drummer; But also enjoyed dancing to the right song whether it was in her kitchen with or in a ballroom dance class with her closest friends. Her dancing was a beautiful thing to see. She was a talented musician with both organ, keyboard and accordion. She had amazing knitting and painting skills, and had developed a real talent with words as the ladies from her creative writing group would agree.

Please submit and share your memories, thoughts, photos, and videos of Frances here and encourage others to do the same. In this crazy pandemic situation it’s difficult to gather together to seek comfort in our time of loss and grief. Let’s make it easier and more accessible for everyone to reminisce about this beautiful woman’s life.

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