10/02/2026
In loving memory of Frances I Meyer (1930-2026)
On June 9, 1930, Frances Irene Casperson was born to Ralph & Jessie Casperson at the family’s farmhouse in Monona County in southwestern Iowa. She attended a one-room country school.
After passing the 8th grade exam, she boarded in the nearby town of Woodbine, Iowa where she attended high school and graduated in a class of 48 students. After graduation, at the age of 18, she taught 21 students in country school to earn money for college.
In the chemistry department of Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, Fran met her future husband, Keith Meyer. They married in 1952, and Keith’s work and career took them to Washington DC; Lexington, Kentucky; Lansing, Michigan; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Houston, Texas. Fran was also able to join Keith for some of his overseas work assignments. Together, they especially enjoyed square dancing, camping and traveling overseas to visit their two daughters’ families. They were active members of Northwoods Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas. Fran took pleasure in making a home for the family wherever they
lived. She started sewing at age 12, determined to have an alternative to the “matronly” store-bought dresses that fit her tall frame. Sewing remained a creative outlet over her lifetime. She
sewed for family and she had a popular sewing business in Houston. She made children’s clothes, bridesmaid dresses, items for the home, quilts, and even down-filled vests and sleeping
bags.
On a church work trip to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Fran and Keith learned about Su Casa de Esperanza, a non-profit focused on early childhood education for two Valley communities. Fran and several other members organized annual drives to collect clothing and equipment. Donations were sorted by size and type and packed into Fran’s car to deliver to Su Casa. Later, Fran sewed school bags and filled them with supplies for Su Casa to distribute to students returning to school.
The Valley came to feel like home to Fran, and in 2007, she moved permanently to the Valley. She was active in her Tropic Star community, volunteering with First Responders, signing folks
up for the large holiday meals, coordinating receptions following memorial services, square dancing, and hosting a quilting group at her home several times a week. In 2018, Fran moved to Brook Ridge Senior Living. As her world became smaller, she explored new interests, becoming an avid Wordle and Spelling Bee player, watching Woodbine girls and boys high school basketball online, and staying connected with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are scattered around the world.
Fran died peacefully at home on September 7, 2026.
