Frances Wickwire Obituary

Frances Elaine Wickwire (nee Wenzel), age 86, passed away quietly on the evening of February 18, 2009 at the Wynscape Nursing Home in Wheaton, IL. She had been living at the Wyndemere Campus since 1992. Frances was born Oct 14, 1922 in Belvidere, IL to Earl and Florence Wenzel (nee Biester). Earl operated the Wenzel Turkey Farm in Kirkland. She grew up during the Depression on the family farm one mile south of Kirkland in DeKalb County, IL without heat, electricity or plumbing. She was educated in the two-room schoolhouse at Kirkland where she was the Valedictorian of her 1939 High School class. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1943 with a degree in teaching and business and was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. Her senior year, she was selected for the Mortar Board Honor Society. After graduation, during the War, she took a job for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and worked out of Omaha, NE routing rail traffic through their mid-west hub. After the War, she taught typing and bookkeeping at the Pearle City High School for one year. On July 3, 1946 she married Guy Ely Wickwire of Belvidere at the Methodist Church in Kirkland. She and Guy railed their family in Glen Ellyn, IL. In 1959 and 1960, Frannie was the President of the Glen Ellyn PTA. In 1963-64 she was on the fundraising committee that raised the money to startup the Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. In 1970 she went to work for Merrill Lynch in downtown Chicago. She was in the very first class that included women as registered reps (stockbrokers) for the firm. Fran was in institutional equity sales; in charge of the entire Chicago area employee stock purchase plans for Merrill Lynch, working on the 82nd floor of the Sears Tower, until her retirement in 1982. In 1992 she and Guy moved from Glen Ellyn to the Wyndemere Independent Living Center in Wheaton. They were active in several bridge and investment clubs and traveled extensively. She was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church. She was an avid fan of the Cubs and Bears and all of the University of Illinois sports teams. She was also an officer and active in the PEO helping to found several chapters and most recently a member of the NP Chapter of Winfield. Her daughter Barb Christiansen was her guardian and took excellent care of her during her later years. Fran is survived by her children, Guy Earl Wickwire of San Antonio, TX and Barbara (Matt) Christiansen of West Chicago, IL.; six grandchildren, Laura, Bond, Neal and Samantha Wickwire and Carol and Keith Christiansen; and her sister Iolene (Richard) Wedel of Rockford. She was preceded in death by her parents and beloved husband Guy in 1999. Visitation and funeral service were held Monday, February 23rd at the First United Methodist Church of Glen Ellyn with interment in Maple Cemetery in Kirkland next to Guy. Arrangements are with the Leonard Memorial Home of Glen Ellyn 630-469-0032.