Wiedeman Funeral Home, Inc. ~ Steelton, PA  |   717.939.2344

Fackler-Wiedeman Funeral Home ~ Harrisburg, PA   |  717.564.1434

Wiedeman Funeral Home, Inc.

357 South Second Street | Steelton, PA 17113

Phone. 717.939.2344  | Fax. 717.939.1999

Dennis L. Wiedeman, F.D., President, Supervisor


Fackler-Wiedeman Funeral Home

23rd and Derry Streets | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17104

Phone.  717.564.1434 | Fax. 717.564.7274

James W. Taljan, F.D., Supervisor

Family Owned and Operated...We Care

In Loving Memory....

BELOVED MOTHER


Frances Ann Mickola Watkins, 79, of Oberlin, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 20, 2012.  Frances was the wife of Paul Watkins, with whom she had celebrated over 54 years of marriage.  Frances had worked for the PA Department of Revenue for over 20 years.  She was former Treasurer and member of the KSKJ St. Aloysius Lodge #42 for 50 years.  She was a member of St. Catherine Laboure Roman Catholic Church and its Coffee Cup Club.  Frances was also a member of the Council 13 AFSCME, AFL-CIO.  She was a graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School, formerly Harrisburg Catholic High School.


If angels roamed the Earth, one of their names surely was Frances.  She was one of the most self-less souls who walked the face of this planet.  Her focus was always on others, never on herself, even when her health was failing.  She was an angel, always the caregiver.  First caring for her own parents, then her brother and sister, as well as her husband, who struggled with Parkinson’s for over 20 years.  Her children, grandchildren, her family, always came first.  They were her greatest gifts and greatest joy.


She was the best mother anyone could have ever had.  She was the ultimate supporter and gave unlimited encouragement.  She was the non-stop carpool that drove us to every dancing lesson, guitar lesson, organ lesson, baton lesson, band practice, play practice, etc.  She was at every recital, every football game, and every activity that we participated in.  She was always present and cheering for her children.  She provided the motivation and the desire to see all three of her daughters through higher education and subsequent careers.  Her generosity was limitless.  We will remember her grace, inner and outer beauty and her generosity of spirit.


She was there for us every single day.  She was always up for us, whether she felt well or not.  She chose not to share it with us.  She endured her health struggles quietly and with grace and dignity, not wanting to trouble us with her needs.  We will miss her voice at the other end of the line reassuring us that everything will be ok.  We will miss her endless love, concern and care.  We will miss her warm embrace and gentle kiss.


She was the greatest grandmother.   She was especially fond of her grandchildren, Cheyne and Kelsey, giving them the big hug and kiss even as they grew to be 6’1 and 5’8.  She was their role model for love.  She will stand to be their measure of what a good parent is.  From the time they were infants holding them for the first time in the hospital through the teenage years and young adulthood; her love encompassed their entire being.


She liked to write and began working on a novel while she visited her husband daily in the nursing home.  We recently rediscovered her journals.  Amazingly, while reading her meticulous hand-written journal, we have come to realize that Mom was a Nicholas Sparks, obviously in her case, a Nicholetta Sparks.  Her plot is intriguing with its twists and turns and character descriptions.  Our discovery led to a whole new appreciation for Mom’s creative genius.  We have come to admire her anew and recognize her for the miracle that she was.


She loved angels.  Pictures of angels, statues of angels, cards containing angels, stories about angels, she loved and cherished them all.  Looking around her home, you would see evidence of those angelic creatures in every room.  She read Sylvia Brown’s books believing that there were many miracles that occur mysteriously every single day created by pure faith.  She was the true and ultimate miracle.


She was the best sister, best friend, partner and housemate to her sister, Dorothy, for the last 20 years.  She shared her home and her love.  They were inseparable.  They had a fierce love for one another that lasted a lifetime.  Frannie was her angel.


She was the best wife.  She stood by her husband Paul’s side through life’s struggles; carrying him through his struggle with Parkinson’s.  In the end, she visited him daily in the nursing home until her own health failed; continuing to provide care and support above and beyond until the end.  She lost her husband, Paul, of more than 50 years, on October 4, 2010.


We will all have a deep chasm in our hearts that will have been created by her passing.  Life will not be the same without our mother, our angel.  Somehow, she always made life better no matter what.  We are all better individuals and humans for having known her.


We can only imagine hearing her voice one last time telling all of us she loves us and not to worry about her.  She is in a better place now with her husband, mother and father and brother.  We imagine she will continue to watch over all of us in her own angelic way.  Frances Ann Watkins was one of a kind, an earthly angel, a true miracle.


She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Watkins, and parents, Michael and Mary Mickola, and brother and his wife, Michael and Mary Mickola.


Frances is survived by her sister, Dorothy Kostelec; daughters, Paula Karabasz (husband James), Dianne Ball (husband Robert), and Mary Frances Christ (husband David); and two grandchildren, Cheyne Karabasz and Kelsey Ann Karabasz.


Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 24, 2012 at 12 Noon in St. Catherine Laboure Roman Catholic Church  with Rev. Neil S. Sullivan, her Pastor,  as celebrant.  Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery.  A viewing will be held on Friday from 11:00 am until 12 Noon in her church.  Arrangements are being handled by Wiedeman Funeral Home.


In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in honor of Frances to St. Catherine Laboure Roman Catholic Church, 4000 Derry St., Harrisburg, PA 17111.










FRANCES ANN MICKOLA WATKINS