Frances Wolfson

Pillar of the community and family matriarch, Frances Wolfson passed April 5th, 2024, peacefully in her sleep and surrounded by family. Frances is survived by children Beth Wolfson, Jerry Wolfson, and Jacqueline (Stephen - deceased) Tancos, grandchildren Ryan (Casey) Tancos, and Lisa (Michael) Salzman, great-grandchildren Sofia and Samuel Salzman, adopted children Namiko Fujimoto and Tomomi Ooshima, and adopted grandchildren Jacob Hughes, Michael Grover, and Kyle Murphy.
Born in Brooklyn, New York on June 29, 1934 to Jack and Bessie Lebowitz, preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband of over 62 years Barnett Wolfson, in-laws, Joseph and Rose Wolfson, sisters Hilda (Saul) Zonis and Evelyn (Bernard) Walder, and brother Alan (Marcia) Lebowitz, and son by love Stephen Tancos.
Fran was a woman who loved her family above all else. There was never a more joyful and prideful smile on her face than when surrounded by her loved ones. Fran and her lifelong love, Barney, met when they were eight and ten respectively, and spent the entirety of their lives together. The two were married on the winter solstice, December 21, 1957. While she was a successful accountant and human calculator, the true role she would want to be remembered for is matriarch of the family.
Not only beloved dearly by her family, Fran was a pillar of the Jewish community people rallied around, and was recognized by her Temple as Woman of the Year. Along with her extensive collection of Jewish art, she was a well-known lover of giraffes, dolls, and oriental aesthetics. She was also known for chasing people out of windows, street-racing gangsters, and being the descendant of escaped Romanian royalty.
Fran will be laid to rest alongside Barney at Paradise Memorial Gardens, Scottsdale, AZ on April 8th, 2024 during the eclipse. She will be deeply missed by an extensive family spanning the globe. Donations may be made in Fran's memory to the Arizona Alzheimer's Association, the Melanoma Foundation, or the Arizona Humane Society.