Frances Borst Anderson

1923 - 2023

Frances Borst Anderson
Born: January 31, 1923 in Evanston, IL
Died: March 28, 2023 in Princeton, IL
Frances Anderson Obituary 1/31/1923 -3/28/2023 Known around Princeton as the woman who walked, rain or shine, to the cigar store to get the newspaper, Frances Anderson, 100, of Princeton, IL passed away on March 28, 2023.
Oldest daughter Mary arrived at Fran's home for a scheduled visit about 18 hours earlier and attended to her needs while holding her hand till the end. Talk about timing! Born on January 31, 1923 in Evanston, IL, she was the first of 5 children to Catherine and John Borst. She was married to her husband Robert Anderson, who grew up 1/2 block away, for 54 years until his death in 1997.
Survivors include Mary (Sean) Redmond, Fallbrook, CA; John(Jean) Anderson, Lakewood, CO; Jane (Sean) Trachtman, Bisbee, AZ; Elizabeth (Dave) White, Leawood, KS; & Margret (Nick) Petrie, Shorewood, WI; along with 12 grandchildren, more great-grandchildren and many other family members & friends.
She was predeceased by her daughter, Ellen, and granddaughter Carrie. Most recently Fran was lovingly cared for in her home by Deb, Jean & Nadiya. We are forever thankful for how they cared for and about Fran. Cheerful and lovable,
Fran had many interests: books, radio-especially listening to Cubs announcer Ron Coomer, reading the Chicago Tribune, knitting, playing cards, walking, writing letters. Fran was an enthusiastic eater of vegetables, soup and bread and was always up for trying new dishes. Her very favorite pie was cherry! She loved cloudy days & loved to balance her checkbook on them! Music brought her joy, especially singing along to Blueberry Hill, Linda Rondstat and The Ink Spots. Throughout her many years in Princeton, Fran worked at the American Red Cross and volunteered in her children's school and in the library. She was an amazing storyteller with a range of different voices and had a full and easy laugh. She was fond of saying, "It doesn't take much for me to have a good time." Self-described as a person with overflowing imagination & creativity, her specialty was making playbooks, cards & bookmarks. Much joy and excitement came from figuring out ways of doing things in a better and different way. Cooking from scratch and enjoying the thrill of bargains came easily to her.
Here are a sprinkling of Fran-isms that she had posted in various parts of the house: Do Good, Avoid Evil, Pay Cash, Be Well, Keep in Touch, Clean the World, Stay Humble, Studies Cleanse the Soul, Do More With Less and Give Thanks. Fran's body has been donated to science and a memorial will be arranged in the future.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Fran's memory can be directed to The Closet, 2026 N Main, Princeton, IL 61356, Matson Public Library 15 W Park Ave, Princeton, IL 61356 or your local American Red Cross.
To quote Trevor Noah about the Queen when she died, "she finished life." We are all so grateful to have been loved by Fran.