Frances Anastasia Farris

Nov. 11, 1917 — April 18, 2017

Frannie Farris was born Frances Anastasia Sutkowski on Nov. 11, 1917, to Herman and Jennie Sutkowski, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Frannie passed away April 18, 2017.

The family moved to Astoria before Frannie’s senior year in high school, as Herman was transferred with Pillsbury Mills. She married Elmer “Red” Brown on Oct. 14, 1939. They had two sons. Red passed in 1968. In 1973, she married Leonard “Tex” Farris. He passed in l992.

A photo of Frannie aboard a “Rose Festival” float in 1939 made the front page. She was employed at the Home Bakery her entire working career, first at their Uniontown location, and then in Uppertown, from where she retired. Her passion was her rock garden.

It was common to see her crawling around, weeding, digging and pruning. Her vegetable garden was also quite a sight.

Frannie is survived by two sons, Brian Brown (wife, Phyllis) of Gresham, and Dennis Brown of Warrenton; three sisters, Irene Hall of Rancho Mirage, California, and Margaret Olsen and Patsy Hudson (husband, George), both of Astoria; four grandsons and their wives; and 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a fourth sister, Lillian Hreha, also of Astoria, and a fifth grandson.

Frannie attended St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Astoria, and then later the St. Francis de Sales Mission in Hammond.

Graveside services will be held May 6, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel at Ocean View Cemetery. A reception will follow on the second floor at Clatsop Retirement Village in Astoria.