Obituary of Frances C. Crofts

Frances Cochrane Crofts, 101, of Nokomis, Fla., passed away Monday Dec. 24, 2007, at home. The funeral service will be Sunday Dec. 30, 2007, at 3:00 p.m. at the Venice-Nokomis United Methodist Church, followed by the internment at Venice Memorial Gardens. Frances was born in Red Oak, Iowa, and moved to Nokomis with her husband and son in the 1950’s. She was a longtime member of the Venice-Nokomis United Methodist Church and the first president and founder of their bargain center, which was opened in 1962. Frances valued her time as a kindergarten teacher at the first integrated kindergarten in Nokomis. In the early years of her marriage, she and her husband owned one of the first Airstream trailers and traveled throughout the United States and Canada. In subsequent years, she continued to travel the country with her husband John, a past Grand Master of the Grand Emcampment of the Knights Templar. Prior to moving to Florida, Frances graduated from the University of Southern California in 1926. She is survived by her son, John L. Crofts Jr., grandson, John L. Crofts III, granddaughter Frances and her husband John Vanderbeek, and two great-grandchildren, John Ryan and Jason Vanderbeek. She is also survived by a niece Louise Bastron of Rochester, Minnesota, a nephew William Turner of Scottsdale, Arizona, and their families. She was predeceased in death by her husband John L. Crofts Sr. and a grandson William Cochrane Crofts. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., 1000 East State Parkway, Suite I, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4592 or Venice-Nokomis United Methodist Bargain Center, 208 Palm Avenue, Nokomis, FL 34275.