Frances Ann Dew, age 83, of Plymouth, Michigan and Redwood City, California passed away peacefully on June 1, 2024, surrounded by her children.
Born in Detroit on May 12, 1941, Fran grew up on the family dairy farm in Superior Township. She earned a nursing degree from Bronson Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1962, a B.S. from Western Michigan University in 1969, with a major in psychology and a minor in English, and a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry, Berkeley, CA in 1999.
Fran worked as a pediatric nurse for a few years and worked again as a nurse to finance her master’s degree. While raising her children in Yakima, Washington, she served her community in many roles locally, statewide, and nationally. Just two examples are her term as President of the Washington State League of Women Voters (1981–1983) and her contributions to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). She headed the Guest at Our Table program at the Yakima Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church, an annual intergenerational church project that raised funds for UUSC human rights service projects. As a UU Minister (1999–2010), she worked with eight different congregations in six different states, preparing each to call a permanent minister. She joyfully officiated weddings whenever called on.
Fran cherished her big extended family. In 2006, she returned home and cared for her aunt Ida Freeman and mother Leola King (née Freeman). In retirement, she restored her grandmother Anna Freeman’s gardens and celebrated the 100-year anniversary of her family living at the house. She also planned many King family reunions.
In addition to community service and family, Fran’s passions were numerous. A voracious reader, Scrabble player, avid gardener, intrepid traveler, art lover, philanthropist, feminist, environmentalist, family gatherer, and hostess. When a stroke left her with aphasia, she found her voice as a watercolor painter. Her connections with family and her long-standing friendships that she cultivated throughout her life sustained her. Fran lives on in the many lives she touched and her paintings.
Fran is survived by her children Jennifer Dew de Castro (Jose) (Redwood City, CA); Robert Paul Dew (Alison Wright) (Orinda, CA); granddaughter Isadora Dew de Castro (Redwood City, CA); stepdaughter Patricia Dew Pender (Northfield, MN); stepdaughter Roberta Conant (recently deceased) (Peter) (Jamaica Plain, MA); sister Bonita (Donald) Roberts (Sebring, FL); brother Ronald (Diana) King (Woodstock, GA); brother Robert (Helen) King (Trent Woods, NC); brother Clarence King (Cave Junction, OR); brother Lewis King (Cave Junction, OR); sister Dorothy (Greg) Weatherbee (Charlevoix, MI); brother Charles (Karen) King (Winfield, IL); brother William (Cindy) King (Quincy, MI); step-granddaughters and step-grandsons; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, September 28, 2024, at the Dixboro United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Fran volunteered her time and donated a percentage of her income to organizations that sought to eliminate poverty and hunger, increase literacy, and advance reproductive and human rights.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Cambridge, MA are preferred.
Thanks for this link to Fran’s life, loves, passions, intelligence, activism & abundant love. I am one of the many fortunate to share life’s path with her.
We love that picture, with Fran’s open- and big-hearted smile.
A life well lived by a fine lady in every respect. I remember Fran as a very good basketball player and an outstanding student at DeWitt High School.
Fran dedicated her life to serve others. Her spirit continues through all those that she touched.
Fran’s sermons and music lifted my spirits at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor. Her ministry touched and uplifted many lives. May she rest in eternal peace.