Frances Eileen Kovarik

1931 - 2023

Frances Eileen Kovarik

BOISE, ID - A funeral mass for Fran Kovarik will be held Thursday, April 18, 2024 at Blessed Sacrament Church at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will be offered following the mass, providing an opportunity to visit with family and friends.

After a full and adventurous life, Fran Kovarik passed away peacefully the morning of October 6, 2023 in Boise, ID. She was 92. Born Frances Eileen Sullivan on Oct. 4, 1931, she was the fifth of seven children born to Frank and Margaret Sullivan in Spalding, NE.

Fran was independent and strong minded - some may even call her stubborn - but it was her non-conforming and persevering mindset that helped her forge her own path, rarely settling for less than she wanted.

As a young girl growing up on the family's dairy farm, Fran often worked outdoors with her dad, making deliveries in the family milk truck, tending to the dairy cattle, and irrigating fields. She learned the value of hard work, and that women are just as capable as men. She loved school and excelled at it, finding it both challenging and satisfying.

Understanding early on that education was a gateway to new opportunities, Fran almost saw her plans postponed during her final year of high school when schools were closed due to one of Nebraska's worst winter storms in recorded history. So many days were missed, she and others were in jeopardy of not graduating on schedule. Fortunately, exceptions were made to all students in good standing, Fran included, allowing her to graduate on time.

She then moved to Omaha to begin her nursing education at the St Joseph's Hospital Unit of Creighton College, where she graduated three years later earning the highest state board exam scores in Nebraska and Iowa.

Next, Fran moved east to gain nursing experience at the University of Michigan Hospital. Fran wasn't a quitter, and rarely took "no" for an answer. While working in Michigan, she and a friend planned a 3-day canoe trip down the Tittabawassee River. When they arrived to get their canoes, she was told they didn't rent canoes to women. It's impossible to know exactly what transpired next, but anyone who knew Fran is not surprised that they went ahead and rented one to her. Her perseverance was one of her trademarks. "If there's a will, there's a way," she would often say, and she definitely had will.

Returning to Omaha, Fran earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Creighton College in 1957. Her commitment to nursing spanned five decades, and included working with patients, supervising, and teaching; in areas from Pediatrics to Home Health to Hospice. It was also at Creighton where she met Wenzel Kovarik, whom she married in 1957. Together, they settled in Rapid City, SD, where they raised their seven children.

While balancing her roles as wife, mother, nurse, and volunteer, Fran instilled her values of life-long learning, dedication, perseverance, and love of the outdoors in her children, or anyone who would join her for a cup of coffee.

She was adamant that her children learn to swim, ski, hike, camp, play several sports, and learn a musical instrument. Everything was about learning something new, and building upon it.

She had high expectations for herself as well. Many of her skills were born from necessity but refined by her strong desire to improve.

People often heard her say, "well, I can do that!" She was an expert seamstress and knitter and could sew anything from prom dresses to home decor with precision. She made mittens, hats, and sweaters, and could knit argyle socks in a dark movie theater. Reroofing a house, installing windows, and reupholstering furniture were also on her resume - she could wield a hammer as well as a rolling pin. She often used remnants of fabrics and yarns for her creations. "Waste not, want not," was one of her mantras. She reused, recycled, and repurposed before it was popular.

If there was someone in need and she was able to help, she'd be right there.

She volunteered her time and skills to various organizations, from local 4-H and PTA groups to broader community initiatives like Meals on Wheels and Ski for Light. A devout Catholic, she volunteered in her prayer group and at church functions, as well as biking and hiking groups in the Black Hills. Fran was constantly knitting and sewing things for families with limited resources. She would teach them skills to keep their households safer and more sanitary. If something needed doing, she did it if she could.

Once her kids were grown, Fran traveled extensively - sometimes with her children, sometimes with friends. Her trips often included biking, kayaking, scuba diving, mountain summitting, and often some form of volunteering. Her travels spanned six continents.

She is survived by her brother, Gene of Albion, NE; her seven children: Anne, Dan, Don, Margie, Susan, Kathy, and Ed; as well as numerous grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wenzel, her parents, and five siblings, all of whom she is now reunited with in heaven.

In lieu of flowers or donations, please consider committing a random act of kindness, volunteering your time and skills to a needy organization, or performing a good deed in honor of Fran.