Frances Elvera Boylan (née Fawley), of Fort Madison, Iowa, passed away peacefully in her sleep at Addington Place of Fort Madison on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at the age of 95.
Frances taught school, initially in a one-room school in the West Virginia countryside, but put aside her career to raise her five children, a job she often stated was her most important and rewarding. She and her husband, Clifford Boylan, lived in several towns in Michigan during their early family life, spending many enjoyable years in Manistee, MI where she was active in the community with the West Shore Community Hospital Guild, AAUW, Sweet Adelines, and substitute teaching. They moved to Fort Madison, IA in 1975 where she was active in Soroptimist International and church choir. In 1980 she and her husband opened Boylan’s Slack Shack in Fort Madison, IA, a clothing store, as well as a shoe store, Boylan’s Family Shoes, where Frances served as bookkeeper among other roles. When they retired from their retail business and moved to St Louis, MO, she chose to continue working as a bookkeeper at Quick Point. She recently returned to Fort Madison, IA to be closer to family.
Frances enjoyed her faith, oil and water color painting, travel, dancing (tap, ballroom, jitterbug, and disco), politics, and nature, finding fascination and inspiration for her paintings in clouds, rivers, lakes, rocks, trees, sunsets, and the scenery of her youth in West Virginia and later in Manistee, Michigan. As a biology teacher she loved bugs of any kind, but her favorite insects were butterflies, of which she had an extensive collection.
Frances is survived by a daughter: Penelope Jastrzab (née Boylan) of Tucson, AZ; sons: Philip Boylan of Fort Madison, IA, Douglas Boylan of Spokane, WA; sons-in-law: Philip Crull of Onekama, MI, Robert Jastrzab of Tucson, AZ; grandchildren: Trenton (Emily) Crull of Beulah, MI, Andrea Jastrzab of Tucson, AZ, Laura (Richard) Jastrzab Binney of Llanfairfechan, Wales, UK, Rebecca (Frank Juliano) Jastrzab of Tucson, AZ, Lucas (Cortney) Boylan of West Point, IA, Andrew Boylan, Zachary Boylan of Price, UT, Megan (Conlee) Luke of Spanish Fork, UT, Lauren Boylan of Kalispell, MT; and great-grandchildren: Audrey Jastrzab Binney, Cadence Jastrzab-Juliano, Franklin Jastrzab-Juliano, Cooper Boylan, Brody Boylan, Jordan Luke, Easton Luke, Conner Luke.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters; her husband: Clifford Boylan; daughter: Deborah Crull (née Boylan); and son: William Boylan.
Her body has been entrusted to the crematory Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.
According to her wishes, no formal service is planned at this time.
A private burial will be held at Grafton National Cemetery in Grafton, West Virginia, at a later date.
A memorial has been established in her memory for the Alzheimer Association and can be mailed to Schmitz Funeral Home, P.O. 22, West Point, Iowa 52656.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.
