Francesann M. Bobeck 1940-2025

Fran was born Oct. 27, 1940, in Youngstown, the oldest daughter of Rudy and Ann Byce. She was a proud graduate of Ursuline High School and began her career in the laboratory at Youngstown Osteopathic Hospital.

Fran was the hardest-working woman you will ever meet. As a single mom, an amazing mother, sometimes working three jobs, she dedicated her life to raising seven children. She became stronger with every struggle. She loved to say “we didn’t have a pot to piss in,” but all seven children would say otherwise, as Mommy made sure we always had everything we all needed to succeed!

She worked in the lab at Drs. Bennett, Loeser and McNeal, and “retired” as the kitchen manager and cook at Avalon Gardens. Per Fran, those were her “favorite jobs and if we pay by the word, we cannot list them all. But make sure to add, I never had a job I didn’t like — bosses yes, jobs no.”

Fran made her presence known wherever she went. Her conversations were always full of colorful adjectives and she was infamous for speaking her mind. Never shy about telling it like it is!

Fran volunteered in the cafeteria at St. Anthony School. She won Volunteer of the Year for starting a junior bowling league for the middle schoolers and for the homemade cavatelli and meatballs she prepared for the yearly awards banquet. She loved cooking for a crowd, and if there were more hours in a day, she would have been a food critic.

When Mommy wasn’t working or volunteering, you could find her on the dance floor cutting a rug to polka hits, Kenny Rogers tunes and Willie Nelson medleys. She recently discovered Snoop Dog — but not his songs!

She was a “pretty good” bowler and enjoyed her card club friends, playing Shanghai, New Year’s Eve kielbasa and kraut, M&M’s, family bingo nights on Zoom, playing Yahtzee and beating the grandchildren in Sorry. She was a dictionary of words, always winning at Scrabble, and an encyclopedia of knowledge about classic black and white movies, actors and actresses. Whoopi, you are invited to the luncheon!

Fran is survived by her children, Sheri, Liz (Wayne), Melissa, Mark (Sue), Kenny (Diane) and Wally (Paulette); siblings, Rudy (Pam), Jean and Mike (Vivian); grandchildren, Blake, Anne, Ronnie, Andrew, Colleen, Michael, Justin, Krystal, Walter and Bobby; 11 great grandchildren; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Jeff; and brother-in-law, Jerry.

Thank you to the caring staff at The Sanctuary at Tuttle Crossing for the past three years.

Family and friends are invited to one last buffet in her honor. Put on your dancing shoes and polka with us to celebrate Mommy noon to 2 p.m. May 10, 2025, at Heritage Golf Club, 3625 Heritage Club Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Beatitude House, Youngstown, at UrsulineSistersMission.org.

Final interment will be alongside her parents in Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown.

Please visit www.tiddfuneralservice.com.

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