Frances Cauffman

Frances Hughes Cauffman RN, 54, of Wayne, PA, died Thursday, March 28th of cancer at her home, surrounded by family and friends. Ms. Cauffman was born December 22, 1958, in Bryn Mawr, Pa. and was the daughter of D. Hughes Cauffman and the late Josephine Vincent Cauffman. She was graduated from The Agnes Irwin School, the University of Pennsylvania and the Delaware County Community College School of Nursing. Her son, Robert Hughes Burdash, to whom she was always devoted, was born of her first marriage. She started her career at Provident Mutual Life Insurance as a systems analyst and worked in this field for twenty years. In her last job in this capacity, she met Fran Regan, whom she later married after a rather long engagement, on which her mother commented, "Would you please marry him, we don't want to loose him". They were very happy together. Frannie volunteered as a hospice aide and seeking a career change, she worked as a nanny before enrolling full time in Nursing School. Graduating in 2006, she worked in the ER at the Lankenau Hospital, and then as a psychiatric nurse at The Renfrew Center. Realizing that she wanted to spend more time with each patient, Frannie specialized in Home Pediatric Health Care for severely handicapped children. She also took great care of her parents through the years. She worked up until she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was never a smoker. A lover of the outdoors, Frannie would spent as much time as she could in the Endless Mountains of upstate Pennsylvania and her late summers and early falls at her family's summer home in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Her dogs Bethie and then Beanie were always by her side. Frannie remained close to her Agnes Irwin classmates and was the 1976 permanent class president. Besides her classmates, she was especially close to her Cauffman and Gulbrandsen cousins, enjoying countless family gatherings, celebrations and afternoon teas. Frannie had a gentle heart, a quick wit and a great sense of humor. As a friend wrote, "there is a warmness and gentleness about Frannie, that I noticed the first time I met her. Frannie possessed a glow that made you feel relaxed, as if you knew her for a long time. We can gain strength from the goodness and kindness that Frannie offered everyday". She handled her cancer realistically, with grace, humor and dignity. Frannie will be lovingly missed by her extended family and her many friends. She is survived by her sisters, Elizabeth Leighton (Adam), DeeDee Heyward, her brother, George Heyward (Lillian), as well as her son, Robert Burdash, husband, Fran Regan and her father, D. Hughes Cauffman, including nieces, nephews and numerous cousins. Donations in Fran's name can be made to a favorite charity. A memorial service will be held May 27th, 2013 at 2 PM in the Haverford Friends Meeting, located at 855 Buck Lane, Haverford, PA 19041.