Frances Ruth Washburn

Frances Ruth Washburn, 87, Of Brighton, Colorado, passed away on August 6, 2020.

Frances was born in Stockton, California to Samuel E. Gibson and Erma V. Rhodes on August 7, 1932.  She had two siblings, an older brother David and a younger sister Charlotte.  They moved to Los Angeles when Frances was a young child.  She attended school in California where she graduated from high school.  She had many fun vacations with her family all over the United States prior to her marriage.  Shortly after graduation she met her future husband, Arnold Washburn while he was on leave from the Navy.  Frances and Arnold were married in 1950 and moved to Brighton, CO at that time.  They had four children, Janet, Nancy, Arnold Jr., and Samual.  Frances and Arnold were divorced in 1960 and Frances moved to Denver.  Frances then had another daughter, Connie.

Frances spent most of her years in Denver working for Karman’s Western Wear. She folded western shirts for distribution and was adamant that each shirt have 7 straight pins when it was folded.  It got to be a family joke to always count the pins when buying a new shirt. In the late 1980s, Frances got hurt at work and had to go on disability until it was time to retire from Karman’s Western Wear.

Frances loved to shop. She especially loved to go thrift store shopping with her daughter, Nancy.  They would go quite often and had a wonderful time.  Frances also loved playing BINGO, doing crafts, coloring, movies, and music.  Her favorite musician was Elvis Presley and she had many of his records and movies. She would also attend square dances with her daughter, Janet, and Janet’s husband, Mike.  Mike is a square dance caller and she loved to listen to him sing and watch her daughter dance.  Frances had square danced when she first moved to Colorado so this brought back fond memories for her.  When she wasn’t spending time with her children, Frances was with her friends.  She was a member of a Red Hat Chapter and would attend monthly outings with them.

Even though Frances had many interests, the most important thing in her life was her belief in God.  She attended Bear Valley Church until she moved into assisted living in Thornton.  She always had a Bible on her table, which she read often.  Her faith in God remained strong until her last moments on earth, which was spent with her loving daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Mike.

Frances is survived by her daughter Janet Olivieri (Mike) of Northglenn, CO; daughter Nancy Smith (Steve) of Otway, OH; son Arnold Washburn (Marilyn) of Jesup, GA; and son Samual Washburn of Cameron, MO.  She is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.   She is preceded in death by both of her parents; her sister Charlotte; her brother, David; and ex-husband, Arnold.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Dignity Hospice of Colorado, 400 E 84th Ave, Suite W202, Thornton, CO 80229.

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