Mary Darlene Franscavitch, ne’e Bakel, 87, of Mt. Vernon, died on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 at Good Samaritan Hospital.
Darlene was born on May 5, 1936, in Mt. Vernon, IL to William “Bill” and Clara Abc (Hook) Bakel. She married Albert John Franscavitch on April 23, 1960. John preceded her in death on Jan. 26, 2013.
Surviving family include three daughters, Anna Maria Minowitz and husband Steven of Warson Woods, MO; Mary Joanna Franscavitch of Mt. Vernon; and Patricia Elaine Franscavitch Tussey and husband Chester “Chet” of St. Louis, MO. Two grandsons, Michael Franscavitch Minowitz and wife Maria Danielle Sasso Minowitz of Ruskin, FL; and Mark William Minowitz of Richmond Heights, MO. A sister, Billie Munie and husband George of Venedy, IL. Two sisters-in-law, Freda Hurst of Fort Myers, FL and Patricia Holston, of Nashville, IL. And many beloved nieces and nephews.
Darlene was a graduate of Mt. Vernon Township High School in 1954. She trained at St. John’s School of Nursing in Springfield, IL, and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1957. She began her nursing career as an office nurse in the practice of Dr. Cyril Anslinger in Mt. Vernon. After several years of office nursing, she spent the remaining decades of her career as a nursing educator with the vocational program at Mt. Vernon Township High School, earning Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. She founded MVTHS’s health service aid program and established the HOSA, Health Occupations Students of America, chapter there. She retired in 1991, but often filled in as school nurse at MVTHS in the decade after her retirement. In 1981, she served as president of the Mt. Vernon Township High School Education Association and led the faculty during a weeks-long strike. In 2010 the Darlene Franscavitch Scholarship was formed for MVTHS HOSA students planning to pursue a career in health sciences.
Darlene’s first love was always nursing, but she was also a woman of other remarkable talents and interests. She was an excellent seamstress, sewing curtains for her home, creating special dresses for her daughters and costumes for her grandsons. She was a life-long St. Louis Cardinals fan, cheering them on even in losing record years. She enjoyed cooking and baking, once winning first-place in a Mt. Vernon Register-News baking contest for her triple-layer pumpkin cake recipe. In later years she enjoyed her Wednesday bridge club at the Elks Lodge.
An angler from a young age, Darlene learned to fish with her dear cousin Wiiliam “B” Hook on the farm pond in Dahlgren, IL. She found her soul-mate though in John and their shared love of fishing. For many years, the month of June was spent on Hatch Lake in Talmoon, MN, fishing for Walleye pike. She once landed a 12 pound Walleye there. John had it mounted as her Christmas present that year, and it remains proudly displayed in the home they built. She enjoyed throwing July 4 fish fries with the crappie John caught in abundance each Spring.
She and John also enjoyed traveling and took extensive highway trips through the United States, several trips to the Holy Land, Rome and Europe, and a Hawaiian cruise. A life-long member of St. Mary the Immaculate Conception church in Mt. Vernon, she was active in the ladies Altar Sodality, Council of Catholic Women and the church’s Pro-Life Committee. She often took blood pressures after Masses and eventually earned certification as a Parish Nurse. Darlene was a warm and caring person, making each person she met and interacted with feel loved. She prayed many rosaries for her family and for anyone in need. Her legacy is the little things she did that in the end became the tapestry of her life.
Visitation will be at Hughey Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8th with rosary at 7:30 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary the Immaculate Conception Church on Monday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. with interment immediately following at St. Mary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for the Darlene Franscavitch Health Occupations Students of America Scholarship in care of Hughey Funeral Home, PO Box 721, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864.
