It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce the passing of our beloved mom, grandma, sister, and auntie, Penny Aileen Francis (née Browne) on March 25, 2020 at 7:45 p.m. at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton. She left us peacefully in her sleep.
Penny was born on April 2, 1940 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the middle child of three children, and spent her childhood in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where she graduated from Nutana Collegiate. In 1959, she married Mel Pfeifer, with whom she moved to Montreal, where Greg was born in 1961. Soon after there was a move to Winnipeg, back to Saskatoon, and eventually to Thompson, Manitoba, where she resided until 1967, when she returned again to Saskatoon. There she worked at Federated Co-operatives Limited until 1972, when she met and married Dale Edwin Francis, at which point Penny was on the move again, this time to Toronto, where Jennifer was born in 1973. Mrs. Francis and her family moved to Bradford, Ontario in 1977 while Dale continued to work for Dominion Bridge, before being transferred to Calgary in 1982. A final move occurred in 1987 when Dale took a position with Central Fabricators (later Supreme Steel) in Edmonton, where Penny has lived for the last 33 years. Her primary occupation was as a domestic engineer (homemaker and mother).
She is lovingly remembered by her son Greg (Steffany) Pfeifer, her daughter Jennifer Francis (Robert Tomaszewski), her grandson Lucas Tomaszewski, all of Edmonton; her sister Jacque-Lou (Walter) Hall of Saskatoon, and numerous nieces, nephews, and step-grandchildren in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Penny was predeceased by her father Leslie Morgan Browne (1979), her mother Marjorie Amelia Browne (1984) and her brother Leslie Browne (2002). In 2006, Penny lost her beloved husband Dale to a sudden heart attack after 33 years of devoted marriage. In January of 2016, Penny fell on the ice while collecting the mail; her health has been in gradual decline ever since.
We will always remember our mom for her spunky sense of humour, constant kindness, exceeding generosity, thoughtfulness and the great love she has always shown to all family and friends. Mom enjoyed tending to her garden and flowers, listening to music, dining out, shopping, and spending time with her cherished family.
Our family is sincerely grateful to the staff from Bayshore (Toni), the southeast Edmonton Homecare staff (Alicia), the Ravine Medical Clinic (Drs. Ung and Yan), and the staff of the Grey Nuns Hospital who compassionately supported and cared for mom.
Penny will be laid to rest at a private service on April 2, 2020. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of FRANCIS Penny March 25 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta