Frances Pfenning

Fran Pfenning was a young woman of uncommon compassion, a woman who ran headlong and heartlong - into everything she did. She had an incredible love for life, a love she shared with all those around her, as a beloved daughter, wife, mother, sister and friend. Most of all, Fran was a woman who saw the beauty in life, and helped us see it, too. Frans story began on a cool fall day in 1978, in the northern Michigan town of Shelby. Those were turbulent times in this country, as President Jimmy Carter shepherded a nation through an energy crisis and the return of troops from Vietnam. On November 4, 1978, a cool fall Saturday in Shelby, Donald and Tammy Lyn (Blodgett) Smith celebrated the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Frances. Fran joined her big sister Rachel and her big brother Christopher in the familys Muskegon home, where her dad worked as a mechanic, and her mom cared for the home and family. The family lived on a beautiful farm near Hesperia, which was a wonderful place for Fran to grow up. Being the baby of the family, her big brother and sister knew to have Fran ask their father for anything they wanted, as he could never say no to his little girl! There were two sides to Fran growing up, the girly-girl and the tom boy, played Barbie dolls with her sister, climbed in the tree fort with her brother, and loved playing in the dirt, too. Most of all, she loved animals, and was so compassionate to every animal who crossed her path. She had a name for every animal on the farm (all the cats were named Patches), and even had a pet banty hen shed dress up like a doll, and cart around in a baby buggy! Fran loved to lie on her back in the tall grass, looking up at the clouds, the stars or sky, as she daydreamed of one day becoming a veterinarian. Her life would take a different path, yet her love for animals couldnt have been more real or genuine. Fran was always an incredibly compassionate person, even as a little girl, and she always did whatever was in her power to help hurt or injured chipmunks, birds, or even deer, nursing them back to health if she could. She especially loved horses, and even if she was knocked off, shed climb right back up into the saddle. That was Fran, though, always headlong and heartlong into everything. As a child, her parents would have to keep a close eye on her at the beach, because unlike most kids, shed just dart right off and jump into the water! She was fearless from the beginning, and clearly the Wild Child of the family right from the start! Fran attended Ferry Elementary School as a girl, and later Hesperia High School for the first two years. Her family moved to Muskegon after her sophomore year, though, and the adjustment from a rural country school to Muskegon High School was too much for her to take. After one day of class at Muskegon High, Fran came home and declared that she was never going back! She eventually earned her GED, however, and also attended Baker College for a time, too. Once when she was a teenager, Fran told her folks she was going camping back in Hesperia with friends. Later that weekend, the phone rang. It was Fran, telling them she wanted to come home. Well, come home, then, her dad replied. But she wasnt camping in Hesperia, she had gone on secret road trip to Georgia! Her dad dutifully wired enough money to get her home again. Headlong and heartlong, that was Fran. One day Fran met a handsome young man named Shawn Pfenning, after his sister introduced them. The sparks flew, and a dinner and movie soon followed. After just a short while dating, the two were living together! They were inseparable from that day forward, deeply in love and a wonderful young couple. It wasnt long before Fran and Shawn were expecting, The couple soon celebrated the birth of their first child Shawn II, then two years later came Christopher. Shawn and Fran decided to marry on May 6, 2000, a few months before their third child Hannah was born. They were married in her dads backyard, a beautiful bride who was literally barefoot and pregnant! Fran was a wonderful mother, who simply adored her kids. She enjoyed sitting them down to watch movies (her favorite were The Parent Trap and Grease), or spending countless hours playing games like Monopoly, Go Fish and Deal or No Deal. The family also enjoyed going for long bike rides together, riding to the causeway to watch the geese and ducks. When the kids were in school, Fran would often go help Shawn on his construction jobs, or go for walks with her mom or her friends. When the kids came home, shed effortlessly shift gears, devoting her full attention to them. When they went to bed, she loved slipping into their claw-foot bathtub to relax. She and Shawn shared a beautiful marriage, and split the household chores evenly, as a true partnership. Fran relied on Shawns strength and support, as well. Shortly after 2001, Fran began having unpredictable seizures. She went to a variety of doctors and underwent a battery of tests, including several MRIs, though nothing was ever clearly diagnosed. In 2007, her seizures became more frequent, and fearing for the safety of her children and others, she elected to stop driving. That was Fran, though, always thinking of others before herself, always compassionate. Sadly, Frans health continued to decline, and she died on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the age of 29.Fran was such a wonderful young woman, who ran headlong and heartlong into everything she did. She was a caring, compassionate person, with a tremendous love for life and all those around her. Fran was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend, and a woman taken from us too soon. Most of all, Fran was a gift to us, a gift we will love and cherish and remember forever. She will be so greatly missed. Fran is survived by her husband, Shawn; 3 children, Shawn Allan, Christopher Austin & Hannah Arin; mother, Tammy (Kevin) Hutchison; father, Donald (Susan) Smith, Shiela Gilbert,Tom Pretty, Sister, Rachel (Bryan) Martinez of Rothbury, MI; brother, Christopher (October) Blodgett of WI. A private family memorial service will be held. Memorial donations may be made to the Family For the Children. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory or photo of Fran, or to sign the online guest book.