Francine Lenore Kalous' Obituary
Francine L Kalous was born on June 14, 1936 on Long Island, New York to James and Ellin Whitley. She peacefully took flight from this dimension on March 15, 2019, after a brief illness, surrounded by children and grandkids, at Westbrooke Manor in Oshkosh.
Our mom was something of a mystery even to us. But there are a few things we know: Mom was an only child; as a young woman, she was a beautiful and vivacious redhead; she very much enjoyed bowling, gambling, and a good party-can we say “Vegas, baby!”?; she had knacks for keeping plants, sewing, knitting and cooking; she enjoyed the occasional daytrip with picnics, hauling the family to exotic locations like Kettle Moraine and “the rocketship park”/Riverside Park in Neenah; she served as a group leader to her eldest daughter’s Camp Fire Girls group, taking them on camping trips and doing assorted crafts and whatnot; and, true to her Gemini Sun, she enjoyed travel and trying the latest fads and other things that caught her attention; she had a strong and eclectic interest in music-there was always a stereo around-which my sister and I would get into trouble for messing with!, with albums by artists that ranged from John Denver to Pink Floyd to Harry Nilsson to popular Disney stories. She married our dad, Paul J Kalous on May 12 1961 in Lincoln, Nebraska and, after several decades and four kids, they decided to “retire” that relationship. Her work life was varied and we will always appreciate the fact that she likely worked, without complaint, some jobs that weren’t incredibly stimulating for her, just so that we could experience more of the stuff that we thought we wanted or needed at the time.
Francine will be remembered by her children, Laura, Karen, Mike, and John; grandchildren Cassie (Brian) Daugherty, Hannah White, Caitlin Calkins, Gina Pujals, and Molly Kalous; great-grandchildren Gavin Rhode, Emma Rhode, Riley Pelisek, and Ashlynn Daugherty; and longtime friend and companion, Scott. She was preceded in departure by her parents, her step-father, William Clyde, and her former spouse and baby daddy, PJ.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Amy and the staff at Westbrooke Manor for their patient, kind and gentle care of our mom over the past year, and we would further like to express deepest heartfelt thanks to Dani, Pat, Brandi, and the other angels of love and compassion at Heartland Hospice. Without these two caring teams of people, we would have been absolutely lost! Such a tremendous difference you make in people’s lives at such a critical and vulnerable and emotional time!
No public services are planned. A private family gathering will take place at a later time.
The strife is o’er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; the song of triumph has begun! Now on angels wings, Hallelujah!
What’s your fondest memory of Francine?
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Share a story where Francine's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Francine you’ll never forget.
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