Frances Kunze

Frances Kunze passed away on November 16,2021 at Billings Clinic Hospital of a broken heart. 

Fran was born in Superior Montana, to Alfred and Ruby Weaver February 20, 1949.   She had a sister that passed away before Fran was born.  

Fran met the love of her life while she was a flagger on a construction job and a car drove by splashed Fran with mud.   She proceeded to say "Damn Washington drivers" as Paul showed up as a supervisor driving a car with Washington plates.  

They were married February 20, 1972 on her birthday.  They had a wonderful family of four daughters Gloria, Cherie, Nancy, Alecia and a son, Mark.  

She and Paul traveled the country following Paul's career.  During that time she had several careers,  including Insurance billing in Hawaii, driving dump truck in Hawaii and Montana. Also worked for Phillips County Hospital in the front office for several years.  Fran drove a haul truck and water truck at the Zortman gold mine.  In 1991 when they purchased BDS, she became the bookkeeper for the family business for the last 29 years, until she passed away.  

From the start, Fran grew up loving animals while her mom was a cook at The Hole in the Wall Lodge outside Superior, where Fran worked her summers.  But living there was always the reason Fran hated snakes.  The boys at the lodge would throw snakes at the lone girl there.   

Fran was the most generous lady and thoughtful person.  If anyone needed anything all they had to do was ask. She was known to give the homeless food as they sat along side the road, as she did not trust them with cash. If they had an animal with them she'd go buy animal food and cuss the person out because they shouldn't have an animal if they cant even care for themselves.  

Fran's hobbies included animals of all sorts specifically horses and her love of catalog shopping thinking of everyone. 

She was the greatest supporter of her kids and her grandkids at every event from rodeos to trapshooting to basketball to volleyball and she even endured every musical concert from elementary school that all the kids participated.  We have lost our greatest supporter.  

Heaven gained a spunky little lady with a contagious laugh, (that laugh made it easy to stop and listen and find her in stores).   Watch out dad she's going to keep you in line.  

She is survived by the five children Gloria (John) of Salem, OR, Cherie (Dave) Kalispell, MT, Nancy of Portland, OR, Mark (Lisa) of Malta, and Alecia (Steve) of Malta.   She also leaves behind 30 plus grandkids and great grandkids.  

Services will be Tuesday, November 23 at 3pm at Wilderness Funeral home.

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