Frances Leigh Gordon Archer

1951 - 2016

Frances Leigh Gordon Archer July 23, 1951 March 8, 2016 Frances passed away peacefully at her home in Larkspur on March 8, 2016, after a three-month battle with pancreatic cancer, at the very young age of 64. She left us much too soon. Frances was born July 23, 1951 in San Francisco, the youngest child of Richard F. and C. Agnes Gordon. Frances graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, Class of 1969. She received her BA in Radio Broadcast Communications and MA in Instructional Design from San Francisco State University. She was awarded a second Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from San Jose State University. Frances met her husband, Mark Archer, on a blind date in 1992. A mutual friend introduced them at her house in Sausalito over breakfast. A few days later the smitten Mark invited Frances to a wine tasting event in San Francisco, and they were together almost every day ever since. Frances moved from San Francisco to Larkspur to be with Mark in 1994, and they were married on September 20, 2000 while on vacation in Fiji. Frances developed her love for libraries when she joined the Convent of the Sacred Heart Catholic High School for Girls in San Francisco in 1991 as Assistant Librarian. Once she completed her MLIS degree, she was promoted to Head Librarian. In 1995 Frances accepted the Head Librarian position at Marin Academy in San Rafael. She really found her home, though, when she accepted the position of Library Director for the City of Larkspur in 1999. Frances remained with the City of Larkspur until she took an early retirement for medical reasons in February 2016. Frances was a very bright beacon of light in her community. If you were fortunate enough to have spent any amount of time with her, you would leave with a smile on your face and a little more bounce in your step. Her energy, warmth and joy would always rub off on you. She was well known and loved by so many folks in Larkspur and throughout the greater Marin County area - her neighbors, library patrons, her librarian fraternity, City of Larkspur staff and members of the community-at-large. She was so well loved and respected that Frances was selected as the 2012 Larkspur Citizen of the Year. Frances enjoyed spending time with her best friend - her loving and adoring husband, Mark. Together, they enjoyed travelling, movies, reading, listening to music, going on long walks and spending time with friends and family. Frances is survived by her husband Mark Archer, twin brother Robert Gordon, sister Ayesha Rognlie and brother-in-law Collin Rognlie, brother Barry Gordon and sister-in-law Nikita Gordon, niece Summer Rognlie Trisler and her husband Jeff Trisler, nephew Michael Rognlie, niece Delaney Gordon and grand niece Sienna Axe. Please join Frances' family and friends for a Celebration of Life Event on Sunday, April 10, 2016 at 3 pm at the Corte Madera Community Center, 498 Tamalpais Dr, Corte Madera, CA 94924. In lieu of flowers or gifts, contributions in Frances' name may be made to the Friends of the Larkspur Library.