Frances Irene (Murphy) Bartunek

Frances Irene (Murphy) Bartunek of 1610 Minneapolis St. Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 passed away on December 12, 2014. She was born June 10, 1924 in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Frances was raised in the Sault Ste. Marie area. She attended Catholic School and graduated from Loretto High School in 1942. On February 8, 1943 she married Norman Bartunek in New York City, NY where he was stationed in the US Coast Guard. She worked at Harrod’s Department Store and then Baker and Taylor Wholesale Book Company. Their first son, Randy, was born in New York before they returned to Sault Ste. Marie in 1945 where their sons, Michael and Lynn were born. After the birth of their three boys, Frances dedicated her life to her family and her home. She loved to cook and bake and refill your plate, no one ever walked away hungry. She was famous for her Christmas sugar cookies and her Snicker doodles. Some of her favorite pass times were walking, sewing, card playing, gardening, and slot machines. She was a very strong and determined woman who was proud of her Irish heritage. She loved cats and birds. In the early years, she loved camping and traveling with her family and later in life, she loved to travel whenever she could convince Norm to go. Her last trip was solo to Reno, Nevada to visit Michael and Claudia. Whether at Kewadin Casino or in Reno, Nevada, she always loved to see an entertainer or a show. She was committed to her Catholic faith and the raising of her boys in Catholic School. She was a life-long member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Frances is survived by three sons: Randy (Karen) Bartunek of Sault Ste. Marie, MI, Michael (Claudia) Bartunek of Reno, NV and Lynn (Carolyn) Bartunek of Bellingham, WA. She is survived by one brother, Herman Murphy of Corpus Christi, TX and sister-in law, Phyllis Murphy of Port Richey, FL. She is survived by many grandchildren, including: Lauri Brown and Chris Bartunek of Sault Ste. Marie and Paul Bartunek of Los Angeles, CA. She is survived by great-grandchildren Jennifer and Justin Brown of Sault Ste. Marie and great, great-granddaughter, Quinn Alford. She was predeceased by her husband, Norman Bartunek and sister, Margaret Fuerstnau. Visitation hours will be at St. Joseph Catholic Church from 10 – 11 am on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 with Mass Of Christian Burial to follow at 11:00 am with Father Jose Maramattam as Celebrant and Deacon Bill Piche assisting. Final resting place will be at Riverside Cemetery in the spring. Memorial Contributions may be made to St. Mary’s Catholic School. Online condolences may be left at www.clarkbaileynewhouse.com.

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Frances Irene (Murphy) Bartunek

June 10, 1924 - December 12, 2014