Francine Szames

Francine Szames, age 84, passed away on April 6, 2023. Fran was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from James Monroe High School. Shortly after moving to Columbus, Ohio with her beloved mother Rose, she was babysitting when her soulmate Irv Szames saw her and came over to introduce himself. They married shortly thereafter and moved back to New York while Irv was stationed at Stewart Air Force Base during his U.S. Military service. During this time, their firstborn Steven was born at the West Point Military Hospital. After returning to Columbus she embarked on her mission of raising a family and added Brian and Elizabeth to the household that she managed. In 1987 Francine and Irv created Bexley Kosher Market, which became a staple for kosher families in Columbus and throughout Ohio. She was prolific at completing beautiful and complex needlepoints and was proud of her long tenure at the American Red Cross. In her late 40's Fran developed early onset Parkinson's and despite the progressive nature of the disease she fought through each stage and never complained. Irv is known as a survivor but Francine is a warrior that miraculously battled through numerous health related issues over far too many decades so that she could stay close to Irv and nurture her growing family. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband and best friend Irv Szames and parents, Rose Nayman and Norman Goldsmith. Survived by sons, Steven (Linda) Szames and Brian (Andrea) Szames; daughter, Elizabeth (Jeremy) Kalef; cherished grandchildren, Michelle (Ryan) O'Donnell, Rachel (Adam) Licker, David (Elise) Szames, Bennett Szames, Samuel Szames, Max Kalef (Lily), Rose and Neil Kalef; and ultra-cherished great grandchildren, Joshua, Zachary and Hannah O'Donnell; Dylan, Noah and Ava Licker; and Isaac Szames. Graveside service will be 2:30pm, Monday, April 10, 2023 at New Beth Jacob Cemetery, 2565 Performance Way, Columbus. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Francine's memory may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (https://give.michaeljfox.org), or the Irv & Francine Szames March of the Living Fund at the Columbus Jewish Foundation, 1175 College Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43209 (https://jewishcolumbus.org)