Frances M Lundell
Born: April 12th, 1927
Died: December 23rd, 2015
Obituary
Frances M. Lundell (lovingly known to most as Fran but MiMi to her grandchildren), 88, of Burlington, Iowa passed away peacefully at 11:30 p.m. on December 23, 2015 at home surrounded by family.
Frances was born April 13, 1927 to Russell and Edith Pilling of Mediapolis, Iowa. She and her 4 sisters grew up on the family farm and helped greatly in its operation. She graduated from Mediapolis High School in 1944 where she played basketball and the clarinet. She also attended the College of Commerce in Burlington.
Frances married Benjamin C. Lundell, the love of her life, on October 12, 1947 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Burlington, Iowa. They recently celebrated 68 years of marriage together. She was employed by the Burlington Northern Railroad Shops, as a secretary, in the store department for 34 years and retired in 1986.
For many years, Fran and family enjoyed boating on the Mississippi River visiting many sandbars to meet up with friends and then later purchased a cabin on Otter Island. After retirement, she and Ben spent 25 winters in sunny Palm Desert, California. Fran enjoyed daily walking, golfing, reading and loved playing bridge, 3-13 and rummy. She was an avid Hawk-Eye football fan and attended home games for years with cousins, James and Julane Hugg. She also enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers, horse racing, Dancing with the Stars, Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank on TV. Fran was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, PEO Chapter NH and Red Hats. She had in the past been a member of the YMCA, Carthage Lake Club and the Burlington Golf Club.
Those left to cherish her memory are husband, Benjamin; son, Dr. Chris (Susan) Lundell of Dubuque, Iowa; daughter, Diane Gray of Gaithersburg, Maryland; 4 grandchildren, Katherine Lundell of Chicago, Illinois; Dr. Benjamin (Pieper) Lundell of Dubuque, Iowa; Joshua (Shanna) Gray of Warrenton, Virginia; Kathryn Gray of Stafford, Virginia; 3 great-grandchildren, Yeardley and Walker Lundell and Lincoln Gray; sisters, Alice Fye of Burlington, Iowa and Thelma (Bob) McMurray of Fresno, California; brother-in-law, Hugo Thie of Mediapolis, Iowa. She also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and cousins whom she loved very much. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Dorothy (Paul) Orr and Mildred (Shorty) Thie of Mediapolis.
Memorials may be given to the Hospice House, Trinity Lutheran Church or the charity of your choice.
To honor Frances's life, funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at Lunning Funeral Home in Burlington, Iowa. Friends and family may call from noon until 7:00 p.m. Monday, December 28, 2015 at Lunning Chapel, where family will be present from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. A private burial will take place at Aspen Grove Cemetery.
The family would like to say a special thank you to the staff at Hospice and the many family and friends that have helped and touched our lives.