Frances Killian

Frances Mae (Frannie) Killian, a loving mother of four, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of four passed away peacefully on February 4, 2024. She was with and comforted by two of her daughters when she passed. 

Frannie was 94 years-old and had been a resident of Bethany Village in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania for the last 10 years. Prior to that she was a longtime resident of Dover/New Philadelphia, Ohio. 

Frannie was born Frances Mae Haramis on April 15, 1929 in Akron, OH where she attended Buchtel High School then Akron University, where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.  She married R. Bruce Killian in 1951 and was happily married for 56 years until Bruce’s passing in 2007. 

Frannie and Bruce had four children: Kathleen Gherardi of St. Albans, England; Pamela Krause of Mechanicsburg, PA; Natalie McClellan of Lemoyne, PA; and Kenneth Killian of Irving, TX. 

Frannie was an active member of the Dover/New Philadelphia community. She was a member of the Union Hospital Auxiliary (Twig 2) for over 40 years.  During that time, she participated in activities that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospital. Frannie was a member of the Union Hospital Board of Directors for many years. Frannie volunteered with the Union Hospital Gift shop that raised money for the hospital. She was the driving force behind the unique collectibles that could be found in the hospital gift shop. 

Frannie was a member of the United Methodist Church in Dover and served on the Alter Committee for many years. Frannie was an incredibly creative woman. She loved design and color. She used her sewing skills to make clothing for herself and her daughters. She sewed placemats, Raggedy Ann Dolls and their clothing to sell for the Hospital Auxiliary. She was an avid golfer, a sport she took up in her 50’s and an active member in the Union County Club, where she won the women’s club championship.

Frannie is survived by her daughter, Kathleen Gherardi and her son, Matthew; daughter, Pamela (Kevin) Krause, their sons, Ryan and Patrick (Jennifer) and their great-grandson, Luca; daughter, Natalie McClellan, and her sons, Ben and Ian (Shannon), and her grandchildren, Kennedy, Rory, and Graham; and her son, Kenneth (Lisa) Killian and their daughter, Katie. 

Frannie was pre-deceased by two of her grandchildren: AJ McClellan and Caroline Killian.

There will be a private family burial February 9, 2024 in Dover, Ohio. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a date to be determined. 

Donations can be made in Frannie’s name to Asbury Foundation - Bethany Village Benevolent Care at https://www.asbury.org/foundation/