Obituary of Frances V. Zabava

My mother, Frances, passed away Sunday, December 16, in Amsterdam of natural causes, following a long and happy life. She gave me a superb education and taught me the values of the qualities she embodied; humility, kindness, generosity, and above all, contentment; the ability to know when you have enough. This is not to say she was indolent; growing up during the Great Depression imbued in her a true love of work. During and after WWII, she worked for the War Department for which she received three official commendations, and later held a number of diverse jobs in and around Amsterdam from which she brought home each day a funny story. She never lived farther than 50 feet from her place of birth, an upstairs room in a house on the south side. She returned there after eloping to marry my father, John, with whom she lived until his death in 1991. Her recreations were only two that I remember; she read three newspapers each evening, and completed in record time every crossword puzzle that passed before her. Fran was a smart, witty and complex person who lived a simple life and lived it well. She will be missed by her sister, Minna, myself John and my daughter, Sally, several nieces and nephews, and the many, many friends she has gathered over nearly a century. Funeral Services will be at 2:00PM on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Family Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam with Rev. Pascal Iannotti, officiating. The family will receive relatives and friends two hours prior to the services from 12:00 noon to 2:00PM at the funeral home.