Frances Katherine Ryan

Frances Katherine Ryan, 93, of Rogers, Ark., died May 14, 2022. She was born October 4, 1928, in Blaine, Kan., to Frank and Mary Purcell. Frances had a love for Christ, family, and her friends. Frances grew up in Blaine, on a farm with her five siblings, tending to the fields of crops, farm animals, and her grandmother and Uncle in a nearby home. She went on to receive her nursing degree from St. Teresa College in Kansas City, Mo., then practiced in Kansas City. Frances met Tom Ryan and they were married for 61 years, until his passing in 2013. They ran small businesses that included a parts delivery service, motels, a health food store, and a coffee service. Frances will be remembered for her work in the church and community. She set in a motion a group of women who affectionately called themselves ‘God's Girls'. Her leadership in prayer drove Frances to lead parishioners statewide to the Arkansas Catholic Charismatic conference, receiving the Founder of our Faith award in 2006. She also was the driving force behind the scripture study program across multiple parishes in northwest Arkansas. Frances and Tom loved the Lord so much and sought opportunities to spread his word, pray for the sick and volunteer in multiple capacities for the church. Frances will be remembered by her family as the steady and patient hand, always supportive yet holding each of the children accountable for their actions. She loved to document her prayers, logging notebooks of prayer, memorializing the relationship she had with Christ and lifting up the children's needs and their family's petitions for healing. Her legacy includes motivating grandchildren to pursue passions she had, like teaching a granddaughter how to sew, a grandson how to cook, and scripture study that influenced all of them. When Frances played games with her grandchildren, she was notorious for playing the "Nana" card, make up words for Scrabble, and Bananagrams. Her patience and positivity always shined through for her grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Tom; her parents; two brothers, Larry and John; and two sisters, Rita and Doris. Frances is survived by her daughter, Kathleen (Kurt); sons, Tom (Jerri), John (Celeste), Terry, and Denis (Chrisy); one sister, Mary Newman; 21 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Visitation is 5-7:00 p.m., Friday, May 20, 2022, in the chapel of Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers, with the Rosary at 6 p.m. Her Mass of Christian Burial will begin Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 8 a.m. in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rogers with interment to follow in St. Vincent Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers. www.RollinsFuneral.com