Josie Francis (Tyler) Francis

Josie Elizabeth Francis
February 13, 1929 - August 7, 2015
Josie Elizabeth Francis, 86, "Jo", "Great Grammy" passed away peacefully after suffering a heart attack at the Salem Hospital on August 7, 2015. She is survived by her children, son Donald Joe Francis of Bow, Washington; son Michael Ray Francis of Brownsville; daughter Linda (Lyn) Francis Jobe and son-in-law/honorary son Bill of Monmouth, Oregon. Also surviving are 5 grandsons: Jason (Snow) and Bryan (Sarah) Jobe, Jake, Dylan and Dakoda Francis; 7 great-grandchildren: Bailey, Kasee, Cheyenne, Madison, Gavin, and Borden Jobe, and Tregon Francis; a brother, Andy (Peggy) Tyler, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Josie was born on February 13, 1929 in Aztec, New Mexico to Andrew and Margaret Tyler. She and her older sister Molly were inseparable as kids and continued to be close until her sister's death in December. When they were younger Molly played the guitar and they sang together. They cut a record and laughed at the notion that they were asked to go on tour. They even sang on the radio and cut a record!
She grew up in the Dallas area where she met Donald Ray Francis. They were married on January 9, 1947 in Vancouver, Washington. He preceded her in death on January 25, 2002. She was also preceded in death by a son, Dale LeRoy, a younger sister Pearl Mae Tyler Bowser and an older sister Molly Nora Tyler Goforth.
Before she married she and her sister worked at the Salem State Hospital. They were both very young and they talked about how scary that job was. For most of her life she raised her family and enjoyed cooking great meals and keeping her home immaculate. When her children were older she worked as a maid in a motel, a waitress, and, ultimately, as a dietician for the VA Hospital in Roseburg. One of her proudest achievements was that she studied and earned her GED.
After retiring from the VA she moved to Salem to be closer to her family. She and her husband spent the next ten years traveling to Arizona and across the US before her husband's stroke prevented further traveling. For the next four years she devoted her life to taking care of her husband. After his death she spent her free time working in her yard, crocheting hundreds of doilies and afghans, watching old westerns on TV, traveling with her daughter and son-in-law and treasuring times with her daughter's family. Everyone who knew her said she was an elegant lady. She often wore purple head to toe, even her nails were painted purple. And, she was always decked out with earrings, and rings on nearly every finger.
Memorial service will be Wednesday, August 12, 11 am at Faith Lutheran Church, 200 Monmouth Independence Highway, Monmouth, OR. Memorial contributions can be made to Faith Lutheran Church in her memory. Memories, photos and condolences at FarnstromMortuary.com.