NORTH LOUP - Frances R. Van Horn, 96, of North Loup passed away Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at the Arbor Care Center in Ord.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 25, at the North Loup Seventh Day Baptist Church. Pastor D. Scott Smith will officiate. Inurnment will be in the Hillside Cemetery at North Loup. Memorials are suggested to the Seventh Day Baptist Church or the North Loup American Legion Auxiliary Post No. 285. Ord Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Frances Ruth was born Aug. 28, 1924, at North Loup to Clifford John and Eva Mae (Pierce) Goodrich. She was raised in North Loup where she received her education and graduated as the valedictorian from North Loup High School in 1942.
Frances resided in San Francisco from September to December of 1942 where she lived with her sister, Dorothy, and worked as a junior clerical at the Emporium.
On Jan. 25, 1945, Frances was united in marriage to Merlyn O. "Button" Van Horn at the SDB Parsonage of their pastor, the Rev. A. Clyde Ahert. The couple lived in Grand Island for a short time before settling in North Loup.
Frances worked as a secretary for the North Loup-Scotia Schools for three Dateline years. In 1958, she began working at the North Loup Valley Bank, first as a bookkeeper then an assistant cashier. She retired from the bank in 1982, after 24 years of service. In 1984, she returned to work for another 14 years at Vera's Style Shop, officially retiring in 1998.
She was a member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church and sang in the choir. She was involved in the Dr. Grace Missionary Society; and was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post No. 285 and the Progressive Club.
Francis enjoyed flowers, plants and walking. Photography and creating memory albums were two of her favorite hobbies. She truly enjoyed her family, especially the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, Phillip and Peggy of North Loup and Jerry and Jill of Council Bluffs, Iowa; one daughter and son-in-law, Joy and Joe Palermo of Omaha; six grandchildren, Heather (Jody) Looper of Lincoln, JoElle (Seth) Williams of Thedford, Daniel (Ashlie) Van Horn of Ankeny, Iowa, Nick (Amy) Palermo of Omaha, Ashleigh and Taylor Billings of Omaha; 12 great-grandchildren,; an expected great-grandson; a brother, Ronald Goodrich of Pueblo, Colo.; and a host of relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Merlyn O. "Button", who passed away on Jan. 27, 2016; a grandson, Drew Billings; four sisters, Dorothy Van Horn, Doris Barber, Ersel Jorgensen and Beverly Stillman; and two brothers, Paul and Charles Goodrich.
