Frances Ralston

Biography

Frances Louise Murray was born on July 26, 1920 at Ingham, Nebraska to Grace Brock Murray and Charles Murray and departed this life on October 19, 2009 at Hilltop Estates nursing home in Gothenburg at the age of 89.

Upon the death of her mother when Frances was six years old, she went to live with her aunt and uncle, Inez and Ed Brock of Farnam, Nebraska. She attended grade school at Sunflower College south of Farnam and graduated from Farnam High School. She then taught school for three years.

On November 26, 194l, Frances was united in marriage to George Ralston at the Congregational Parsonage in Cambridge, Nebraska by Reverend Lauren Messersmith. During their marriage, Frances and George lived in Ingham, Elsie, Orafino, Stockville, and Curtis, Nebraska. Together they had six children-three girls and three boys.

Frances worked as Secretary to the County Superintendent at Stockville, Nebraska from January, 1959 to August, 1968. She was Secretary to the Board of Education of Medicine Valley High School during the time of the organization of the new school. When the new high school opened in August, 1968, she also became Secretary to the Superintendent. In August, 1983 she moved to the Medicine Valley Elementary School where she was Secretary until she retired on June 1, 1992.

In the fall of 2002, Frances moved to Senior Living Choices (an assisted living center) in Curtis, Nebraska, and then in November, 2007, she moved to Hilltop Estates (a nursing home) in Gothenburg, Nebraska.

Frances was a member of the Stockville Rebekah Lodge #278 at Stockville, Nebraska; the Frontier County Historical Society; and the Eureka Chapter #86 order of Eastern Star at McCook, Nebraska. Frances was baptized and joined the Congregational United Church of Christ in Curtis, Nebraska on October 20, 1985.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Grace and Charles Murray; the aunt and uncle who raised her, Ed and Inez Brock; husband, George, who passed away in 1981; son, John, who passed away in 2007; son-in law Kendall Traupe, three sisters-Lillie Miller of Wichita, Kansas, Irene Babcock of Burley, Idaho, and Ethel Ommert of Malin, Oregon, and four brothers-Ivan Murray and Lawrence Murray who died in infancy, Clarence Murray of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and Howard Murray.of Bozeman, Montana.

Children surviving her include Alice (Jack) Hinton of Thornton, Colorado; Lee (Deborah) Ralston of North Platte, Nebraska; Connie (James) Starck of Lincoln, Nebraska; Kenneth (Kathleen) Ralston of McCook, Nebraska; Linda Monte of Littleton, Colorado; and daughter-in-law, Janie Ralston, of Maywood, NE. Survivors also include 23 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, cousins, many nieces and nephews, and other relatives and friends.