Frances Patricia Dana (Goldsby)

Frances Patricia (Goldsby) Dana passed away in her sleep early Friday, July 3, after a long battle with kidney failure.

Born on January 16, 1940, Frances was the youngest of nine surviving children of Delwyn Irving and Annie Mae (Norrie) Goldsby.

She graduated from Olympia High School in 1959 and married Daniel Elton Dana the day after graduation. Together they had three children, Ann Frances, Daniel Elton, Jr., and Wendy Elaine.
After they divorced in 1978, Frances was determined to raise her children without public assistance.

She went to work as a custodian for the State of Washington, General Administration (GA), now known as the Department of Enterprise Services. After several years working as a custodian, it became apparent that Frances needed a higher paying job to support her family. She took a course in locksmithing and was hired as the first female employee in “the shops,” blazing the way for future female generations. After a 23 year career with GA, Frances retired in 2002.

Frances was a fiercely devoted mother and grandmother whose interests included reading, archaeology, astronomy, nature walks, “Sunday drives,” and genealogy. Frances spent many years researching and documenting family history and wrote an autobiography for her descendants.

By example, Frances taught her children to place family above all else, to speak out against injustice, and to never give up the fight even when the odds are against you. Her life’s motto was a quote by Louis L’Amour, which she often recited, “There is no stopping a man who is in the right and keeps on coming.”

Frances is survived by three sisters and their husbands, numerous nieces and nephews, and the extensive immediate family she cared for as matriarch to include biological relatives, steps, and in-laws who all loved her as a mother, grandmother, or great grandmother, and numerous of their friends who affectionately referred to her as “Gram.”

We love you and we’ll see you in heaven!