Frances Louise Kraft

Frances Louise (Burleson) Kraft

January 23, 1930 - May 5, 2025

Frances Louise Kraft was the daughter of Clyde and Bertha (Goode) Burleson and was born at Medicine Park, Oklahoma on January 23, 1930. She departed this earthly life on May 5, 2025 at Kiowa District Hospital at the age of 95 with her children by her side.

Her parents moved to the Byron Fish Hatchery near Byron, Oklahoma where her father was hired as manager when Frances was about five years old. She attended the Locust Grove School through the eighth grade, and then the Byron High School where she graduated in 1948. She loved sports and played basketball, tennis, and softball.

Frances married Robert Lee Kraft of Burlington, Oklahoma on November 14, 1948 at her family home. They were married by Reverend Keller. They then moved to a house one block west of the elevator scale house in Burlington, Oklahoma. “Bob” was the name used by most people for her husband who worked on Doc Lambert’s carpentry crew which built many houses in the area. Bob also did custom wheat harvesting in the summer and began farming one quarter of ground west of Burlington.

Frances was a homemaker and mother of four. Over the years she also provided childcare for many families in the community. She worked for a time at Tucker Manufacturing in Kiowa, Kansas and at the Burlington Drugstore. She was a member of the Lucky Thirteen Home Demonstration Club and became a member of a bowling team.

In 1963, Bob and Frances purchased the Eli Somerhalder farm two miles northeast of Burlington. They lived in the old farmhouse on the place until Bob was able to complete a new house in the 1970’s. He did the majority of the work himself, so it was an extended project along with his other business ventures. Frances attended church as a child at the Union Valley Church one and a fourth miles west of the Fish Hatchery. After marriage they attended Burlington Christian Church where she was baptized and later Driftwood Christian Church where they attended for many years. Over the years she helped with Sunday School, the church nursery, and Bible school.

Frances loved to cook and sew and was an avid gardener. She learned to swim at the fish hatchery at an early age and always enjoyed taking her children and grandchildren to the community pools. She and Bob loved to fish and took up golfing later in life. They were strong supporters of the community and school activities. They followed Burlington basketball teams and their grandchildren’s sports activities until they were no longer physically able. Both of them loved to spend time with their grandchildren in various ways. Bob and Frances celebrated 75 years of marriage on November 14, 2023.

Frances was preceded in death by her parents, Clyde and Bertha Burleson, husband, Robert Kraft, brothers, Joe and Warren Burleson, sister, Betty Kirkpatrick, and son, Kevin Kraft.

Frances is survived by her sister, Cordelia Zahorsky, brother, John Burleson, and children, Vickie (Terry) Morgan, Marsha (Dale) Lunsford, Kurt (Amy) Kraft and grandchildren, Shane Morgan, Brock Morgan, Kelly Owen; Kaleb Kraft, Katie Love, Kenzie Collins, Colten Kraft, Brittany Rupp, Justin Clark; Rachel DeMoss, Hannah Lunsford; Erin Kraft and Elise Kraft. Great-grandchildren include Wyatt and Emmett Morgan, Jacobi and Caleb Cox; Maddox and Merritt Morgan; Grady, Libby, and Tucker Owen; Brooklyn Kraft; Kaylee and Kole Love; Kaselyn and Kallum Collins; Kasey, Koby, Tateyn, and Leighton Rupp; Lydie, Raleigh, and Lydia Clark; Olivia and Owen DeMoss; Linley Lunsford and great-great-grandchildren, Remington and Raegann Cox.

Funeral service for Frances will be Friday, May 9, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. at Driftwood Christian Church. Burial will follow at the Apostolic Cemetery with arrangements by Lanman Funeral Home Inc. of Cherokee. Viewing will be Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. with family present from 5:00 until 7:00. www.lanmanfuneralhome.com Facebook: Lanman Funeral Home Inc,

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Apostolic Cemetery or the Burlington Education Foundation.