Obituary of Francis Dean Sterling Fredrickson

Francis Dean Fredrickson passed away on March 4, 2020 in Salem, Oregon. Francis Dean Sterling was born and raised Craig, Montana and growing up and working on a ranch helped shape her lifelong work ethic. Though she was a sixty-eight-year resident of Oregon, she loved Montana and the ranch that she was born on and made regular trips back to visit and monitor ranch operations. Whether it was supporting local schools or youth programs; helping at the Methodist church; or being actively involved in organizations such as the Sojourners and the South Salem Senior Center, Francis was a dedicated and active volunteer and contributed her time to help others and make her community a better place. As a firm believer in good citizenship, she assisted at the polls every election day for many years. She was a proud member of Capitol City Republican Women and performed volunteer work for Jackie Winters and other local politicians, keeping news scrapbooks and helping with constituent outreach. Francis was married for 57 years to Charles Fredrickson, whom she met on a blind date while in high school. They married in Arizona while in college, lived for a time in Montana, and moved to Oregon in 1952. They raised four children, Cheri, Ken, Ron and Frank and she is survived by three of her children and 19 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. She loved her family and adored having her grandchildren visit and stay. Her family was fortunate to be able to celebrate her 90th birthday at a gathering at Silver Creek Falls in 2017. Almost all her family was there to wish her the best and, while her passing is painful, we all carry fond memories of this wonderful lady and are all better for having this strong, caring, smart, and loving person in our lives. The memorial service has been postponed, date to be determined, due to travel restrictions. She will be interred in Craig, Montana. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to South Salem Senior Center or Morningside United Methodist Church.