Frances Elizabeth Strein May 21, 1930 – February 12, 2019 Share this obituary Send Flowers Sign Guestbook| Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card At 10:25 a.m. on the morning of May 21, 1930, a new little daughter joined the family of Fay and Mary Davis Graves. They named her Frances Elizabeth. She weighed 8 pounds and was 21 inches long and had a lot of dark hair.
She also had a big sister, Hazel, who was six years old. She was born in Kansas City where she would live until she went to college. Frances was a diligent and excellent student.
She graduated seventh out of 470 students in the 1947 Class of Kansas City’s Central High School. She was elected to the National Honor Society, sang in the Concert Choir and was a member of several school clubs. Upon graduation from high school, Frances chose to leave Kansas City to go to college at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, an area where her great-grandparents were early settlers and where both of her parents grew up.
She very much enjoyed her years at Ottawa and made friendships there that lasted for a lifetime. She served as secretary of her senior class, took first place in an intramural table tennis tournament, and developed a fondness for peanut butter and pickle sandwiches there! Frances graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ottawa in May, 1951 but her academic career did not end there.
In the fall, she enrolled in the School of Medical Technology at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska where she completed course work and received a diploma in September, 1952. Her training qualified her for a job as a medical technologist at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Frances’ work at the hospital kept her busy but she also enjoyed social activities with friends from work and from the church she was attending, Calvary Baptist.
A few years after her move to Denver a new fellow moved to Denver and started attending her church. His name was George Strein. He was originally from Oklahoma, had served in the Navy during and after World War II and had spent a long time recovering from injuries he received during his Navy service.
He was a lot of fun, a really good person, and cared deeply for his son Dale and daughter Deborah from a previous marriage. All of these qualities impressed Frances. They found that they had many common interests and their relationship continued to develop.
They were married in a small, quiet, and beautiful ceremony on September 15, 1956 in Denver. Married life kept George and Frances busy. As soon as they could, they became the first owners of a new house at 8300 Baylor Lane in Westminster, Colorado.
Not long after that, their first son, Glen, was born. Two years later their second son, Kurt, was born. Their growing family also kept Frances and George busy but they still found time to do the things they loved.
They used George’s vacation time from his job at the phone company to travel all over the United States with their trailer. They visited George’s family in Oklahoma and Frances’ parents in Kansas City. Sadly, Frances’ mother, Mary Graves, passed away in 1968 and a year later her father, Fay Graves, came to live with George and Frances and the boys in Westminster.
He stayed there with them until just a few months before his death in 1984. When her boys were older, Frances went back to work as part of the office staff of Dr. George Yamasaki. She very much enjoyed this job and especially liked getting to know the patients that came into the office.
The Strein family was always very involved in their church activities. For several years they continued to attend Calvary Baptist, where they had first met. Later they began attending Crossroads American Baptist Church, which was located much closer to where they lived.
One of the things that George and Frances enjoyed doing most was square dancing. This was a passion of theirs for many years. They danced with groups in Denver and other places in Colorado, and after George retired they spent their winters at Tropic Star RV Resort in Pharr, Texas where they could dance as much as they wanted to.
Frances had a whole closet full of beautiful square dance dresses that she loved to wear. Frances also loved music. As a young girl she had taken piano and voice lessons.
She particularly enjoyed singing in choirs. She sang in her high school choir, in numerous church choirs, in the Tropic Star choir and in Good Sam Singers, and even for a while with the St. John’s Cathedral Singers in Denver. Recently she also became part of the Mountain View Presbyterian Church bell choir for a few years and enjoyed that very much.
She loved attending choir and orchestra concerts as well. In 1999, George and Frances sold their house in Westminster and moved to Good Samaritan Village in Loveland. It was hard to leave their home but they very quickly got involved with the many activities at Good Sam.
Frances loved all of the different kinds of exercise classes. At one time she was attending 13 exercises classes a week! She also enjoyed being able to deliver the Village Voice newsletters and was always happy to provide rides for friends who needed help getting to appointments.
In 2005, George passed away after injuries from a fall. Frances’ life changed but she made the best of her situation. She continued to remain active.
She was grateful that her sister Hazel and her friend Judy McDowell also lived at Good Sam and that they could do things together. Frances’ love for travel never diminished. Even after George was gone, she continued to travel as often as possible and to go places she had always dreamed of.
She went to California for the Rose Parade, to Branson, Missouri, and to Europe twice. One of the highlights of her life was when she went to Antarctica at the age of 79! On February 12, 2019, Frances passed away quietly in her sleep.
She was a good daughter, a loving wife and mother, and a loyal friend. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fay and Mary Davis Graves, and her husband, George Strein. She is survived by her sister, Hazel Graves.
She leaves the legacy of a life well lived to her sons Glen (Diane) Strein and Kurt (Debbie) Strein, her stepson Dale (Gina) Strein and stepdaughter Deb (John) O’Brien, her grandchildren: Brian Strein, Sarah (Craig) Petzinger, Elisabeth (Amman) Starr, Michael, Rebecca, and Rachel Strein, and Peter (Kristi) Strein and her five great-grandchildren.
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