Fran...Fynn...Finny.....Fanncie....Mom....Grandma.... was born November 19th, 1949 at Bridgeport, Ne. to Albon Baker "Jack" Hall and Mildred Maria(Gorman) Hall.
It has been an interesting life for Francis. Her family lived on the north west edge of the Hall Cattle and Land Co. Which in it's hayday incorporated 50,000 plus contiguous acres.
Originally started by her great grand father Eugene Albon Hall and later ran by Albon Baker "AB" Hall Sr. and then by her Uncle Donald Baker Hall and her father Albon Baker "Jack" Hall Jr. She grew up on the "farm", so called as it set on the edge of the sandhills and the farm ground to the north. She grew up loving horses and animals. Participating in many gymkana and fair shows . At one time holding a state record for pole bending at Aksarban.
She attended school at the Letan country school of which she had numerous stories of the strict teachers that shaped her formative years. As all good things must come to an end she continued her education at Alliance High graduating with the now famous Class of 1968. After graduating AHS and spending a summer working various jobs and contributing to her parents grey hair and ulcers she moved on to higher education in Rapid City, studying in the new and exciting computer programing field. While she was at Rapid City, studying hard and looking for direction in her life.... a young rapscallion that she had known most of her young life, was returning from active duty in the U.S. Army.
As in a romance novel....this was the beginning. Raymond "Gene" Shaw and Francis Marie were married June 14, 1969 and life was good, mostly. To this union was born three sons, Clinton Gene 1973, Robert Gene 1975, and Albon Gene 1981. After spending numerous years moving around the panhandle of Nebraska putting up with her mate's desire to find the perfect job........ the boys started school and things settled down and they settled in Lakeside, Ne. in a blizzard in 1978. Before that they must have lived on 4 or 5 ranches after leaving Hall Cattle in 1974.
Through the years Francis worked at many different jobs, including, Taco John's, Woolrich Manufacturing, Electric Hose, selling insurance, running her own candy store, book keeper, selling diet powder, ranch cook, hay hand, possibly something I have forgotten, and most importantly ....loving mother and wife.
Francis's first cancer diagnosis and surgery was in 1990, she was cancer free for nearly eight years before the return of the cancer and her next surgery. since then it has been a pretty regular event every year to year and a half. Not too long after the first surgery she found her true calling and returned to school to become a nurse. After graduating with honors from WNCC School of Nursing she began working at Box Butte General in Alliance. While at BBGH she was in on the beginning of the Kidney dialysis Unit and obtained her Certification and RN status. After working at BBGH for over ten years she came home one day and informed her life mate that she was going to begin working as a traveling nurse.
After giving her mate a book called "Who Moved My Cheese" and assuring him that she was not insane. She began a much loved and interesting career as a traveler. Over the next 8 years or so she lived and worked from California to West Virginia, from Larado, Texas to Loveland, Co and Memphis. Always returning to Lakeside to heal from surgeries and rest between jobs. In 2009 the traveling jobs dried up somewhat because of the economy and her mate was trying to heal from a heart condition and not doing a very good job of it. Francis came home on a cold winter day and said....."Want to move to Las Vegas?" she had found a job there and was tired of being cold. Again she had to produce the book "Who Moved My Cheese" and told her mate to read it again.
April 1st, 2010 they loaded her car and his car and moved to the Las Vegas Valley. She worked in the Dialysis field and Home Health Care field, enjoying taking care of and improving the quality of life of many people in the 8 years living there. Febuary of 2018 she finally had to retire, after the many cancer surgeries and treatments over the years, she was trying to care for patients that were in better shape than her. She was walking with a walker or cane to the door and then leaving it outside while tending to the client. She finally retired as Director Of Nurses for Bright Star of Henderson and tried to accept that someone should take care of her.
They moved back to Alliance in November of 2018 and have enjoyed being home again. Francis received excellent care from the medical community here in Alliance and enjoyed renewing old friendships and being close to family.
Francis is survived by her life mate of 51 years Gene; her sisters Robyn Hall Mundt of Crawford, NE and Lynn Sanchez of Tyler, TX; Brother Daniel Albon Hall of Palmer, AK; Brothers-in-Law David Shaw of Alliance, NE and Carl Shaw Sr. of Bridgeport, NE; and Sister-in-Law Ellarae Watson of Grandby, CO. Numerous nephews and nieces Daughter-in-Laws: April (McCoy) Shaw of Lakeside, NE; Kammi (Kumor) Shaw of Casper, WY; and Samantha (Curtis) Ohst of Casper, WY. Grandchildren: Stephanie Shaw of Belle Fourche, SD; Alyssa Shaw of York, NE; Megan Shaw of Mitchell, NE; Matt McCoy of SD; Dylan Shaw and Morgan Shaw of Lakeside, NE; Elle Shaw, Jayden Shaw, and Jestine Petley of Casper, WY.
Francis' greatest joy in life was helping someone else feel better.
Services will be held Mother's Day, May 9, 2021. Dugan Kramer Funeral Chapel is assisting with arrangements.