Frances Safley

March 16, 1927 - August 31, 2017

Funeral Services for Frances Safley, 90, of Jefferson will be held at 10:30am Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at Central Christian Church, Jefferson. Interment will be at a later date at Franklin Township Cemetery, Cooper, Iowa. Friends may call at Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home after 1:00pm Tuesday. The family will be present to greet friends from 5:00 – 7:00pm Tuesday at Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to Jefferson Public Library, Central Christian Church, or Greene County 4-H Foundation. Frances Louise Schilling Safley was born March 16, 1927 at home in Greene County, Iowa. She was the daughter of Dewey and Grace (Harvey) Schilling. Frances died with her family by her side on August 31, 2017 at Regency Park Nursing & Rehab Center in Jefferson, Iowa at the age of 90 years. Fran graduated from Cooper High School in 1944 and attended two years of college at the University of Iowa. She married Robert D. Safley on September 8, 1946 in Jefferson, Iowa. They were married an amazing 70 years. The couple lived and farmed south east of Cooper. They became the parents of four children: Bob, Bill, Tom, and Ann. In 1974, Fran and Bob moved to Jefferson. Fran was a homemaker, mother, and farm wife. She always had chocolate chip cookies and party mix on hand for her children and grandchildren. Fran enjoyed looking through magazines for ideas to help her children and grandchildren with 4-H projects. Fran was the head communicator for the Safley branch of the family keeping uncles, aunts, cousins informed about family activities and how they could be contacted. Fran hosted many family gatherings over the years. As a farm wife, Fran was a true partner. She was familiar with driving tractors. She hauled countless wagons of corn to Jefferson. She endured many flat tires without a cell phone to call for help. She operated the corn picker for several years while her husband unloaded the ear corn into the corn cribs. She always encouraged others. Fran enjoyed spending time quilting with Bob’s sisters. She made many, many quilts and she shared her quilts with many people. Fran had created over 270 projects which included blankets, table runners and wall hangings, each of which were done with love. Fran also liked the challenge of doing stained glass work. She enjoyed family history. She loved the Cooper reunions – because she loved Cooper! Through the years, Fran played a lot of Bridge and belonged to a bridge club in Jefferson. She enjoyed square dancing, and golfing. She was a member of Central Christian Church in Jefferson. She was a member of Eastern Star, P.E.O., Culture Club, and a charter member of the DOES. Fran liked looking at clouds, full moons and the recent Solar Eclipse. The favorite stars in Fran’s “galaxy” were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Fran was preceded in death by her husband Robert; her parents; and one brother. She is survived by three sons: Bob (Connie) Safley of Linden, IA; Bill (Holli) Safley of Peterson, IA; Tom (Lorna) Safley of Jefferson, IA; a daughter: Ann (Alan) Frederick of Jefferson, IA; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; three sisters Beatrice Freeman of Jefferson, IA, Betty Larson of Jefferson, IA and Bonnie Blough of AZ; other relatives and many friends.