Frances “Frankie” Rose (Jacobs) Sauber of Bellevue, WA; born March 31, 1922 in Tracy, Minnesota and died January 5, 2019 in Bellevue; preceded in death by her husband of 74 years Paul Thomas Sauber; daughter of the late Frank and Louise Jacobs; mother of Shirley Sauber; Thomas (Raquel); Bernard (Carroll); Kenneth (Lois); Phillip (Elaine); Charles (Nancy); sister-in-law of Madalen Sugrue; grandmother to 12; great-grandmother to 13. She was preceded in death by sisters Marie and Imelda and a brother John.
Frances’ mother died in childbirth when Frances was 4 years old. She and her siblings were raised by various relatives. Upon graduating Tracy High School, Tracy, MN, Frankie moved to Spokane, WA to live with her Aunt Rose and Uncle Herman. She spent six months sewing to raise money to attend Sacred Heart Nursing School in Spokane. While there she met Paul Sauber, who attended Gonzaga University. On May 22, 1944 she and Paul married. They remained happily married for 74 years until Paul died in July 2018.
Shortly after marrying, Paul and Frances moved to Seattle, he to work for the Boeing Company, she to begin her work as a nurse at Providence Hospital in Seattle. Frankie, sometimes called “Shorty” by Paul because she was so petite, worked as a nurse until her first child was born in 1945. Between 1945 and 1947, she gave birth to four children-Shirley, Tom and identical twins Ben and Ken. Her focus was on child rearing and supporting her husband. She would go on to have two more boys-Phil and Chuck.
When Paul retired from Boeing in 1982, he and Frankie toured the country in their motor home. They enjoyed visiting national parks, historic landmarks and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Frankie loved flowers and gardening. She was fond of her Scottish terriers. She loved the color blue and to watch bunnies in her backyard gardens while she had her morning coffee. Most of all, Frances loved Paul. Her life’s work was supporting him and raising their family. She was quiet and humble to his talkative and outgoing, his inseparable partner working behind the scenes while not seeking accolades.
The family thanks Lilia, Vicky and Nick from Moraru Comfort Care for the care they provided Frances for the last years of her life and Suzanne and her team from Evergreen Hospice.
Donations in Frances’ memory can be made to Bellevue Botanical Garden Society, PO Box 40536, Bellevue, WA 98015-4536.
A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 18 at 11 am at St. Louise Parish, Bellevue. Burial at Sunset Hill Memorial Park following. All arrangements by Flintofts www.flintofts.com
