Ruth Frances Nelson

Ruth Frances "Fran" Nelson, 73, of Cape Girardeau passed away Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, at her home after a four-year battle with cancer.

She was born June 21, 1939, in Springfield, Mo., daughter of Don and Erma Marler Black. She and Dale Nelson were married in January 1956 in Springfield, Mo.

Ruth had fought valiantly against cancer since 2008. She was the director of the former Kiddie Kollege Daycare in Jackson for five years, and was an avid reader, loved to craft and sew, and was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. She and her husband were also foster parents in New Mexico and Missouri.

Survivors include her husband; two sons, Steven Nelson and Larry (Terry) Nelson of Cape Girardeau; a daughter, Julie (Darrell) Tillman of Jackson; two brothers, Albert Black of Ft. Smith, Ark., and Charles (Diane) Black of Las Cruces, N.M; two sisters, Mary Allen of Strafford, Mo., and Donna (Donald) Campbell of Truth or Consequences, N.M.; and six grandchildren, Dustin, Nelson Cole, Evan, Cherish, Hannah, and Avri.

She was preceeded in death by her parents and a grandson, Landon Tillman.

Private family services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Cape County Foster Parent Association or Lutheran Home Hospice. McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of the arrangements, and messages of sympathy may be sent to the family online by visiting www.mccombsfuneralhome.com.