FRANCES COLEGROVE

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Frances Colegrove, age 80, resident of 224 Steen, Fort Scott, Kan., died unexpectedly Monday, Jan. 19, 2009, at her home.

She was born April 28, 1928, in Noble, Mo., the daughter of Russell Gilliland and Mary Angie Ferrell Gilliland.

She married Marvin Colegrove on Dec. 24, 1946, at Girard, Kan. He preceded her in death on Oct. 15, 1996.

Frances had taught school for one year at the Idell School #40 in rural Crawford County. She later worked for Kress's and then for Wal-Mart. Frances was a member of the Cherry Grove Baptist Church, the Ideal Chapter No. 369 Order of Eastern Star, and a past member of E. H. U.

Her primary joy in life was spending time with her family and grandchildren. She also enjoyed reading and sewing. At the age of twelve, she began playing the violin. Frances also regularly donated blood for the Red Cross.

Survivors include nine children; Larry Colegrove and wife, Delma, Paola, Kansas, Cassandra Swank, Timothy Colegrove, Nancy Page, and husband, Dennis, Dudley Colegrove, Rex Colegrove and friend, Millie, Linda Engstrom and husband, Gerald, Marianne Culbertson, and husband, Tim, all of Fort Scott and Karen Curran and husband, Steve, Girard, Kansas. Also surviving are two brothers, Otis Gilliland and wife, Wanda, Wichita, Kansas, and Stanley Gilliland and wife, Carol, Wellington, Kansas; sixteen grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren and several step-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a sister, Pauline Heightman, and infant brother, Cecil Gilliland, a son-in-law, Terry Swank and a grandson, Kyle Colegrove.

Rev. Dr. Dale Cummins will conduct funeral services at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, at the First United Methodist Church.

Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel with Eastern Star Services at 7:30 p.m.

Memorials are suggested to the Cherry Grove Baptist Church or to Meals on Wheels and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Memorial Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Fort Scott, Kan.

Words of sympathy may be emailed to the family at condolences@cheneywitt.com.