Frances Zetterberg's Obituary
Frances Elinor Nilsen was born on July 12, 1928, to Anton and Marie Nilsen. Little Frances
came home to a big brother, Vernon, who was two years old. She would share a room in her
new home with her mother’s sister, Margaret, who lived with her parents from their wedding
day to the day they moved into an assisted living home. It is rumored that on moving day
Anton carried on in loud celebration to finally have his beloved bride all to himself!
When Frances was nine years of age, her Dad decided that he wanted to go to Alaska for a
year and try his hand at gold mining. So Frances, Vernon, and her mother journeyed on a ship
to Norway and lived there for a year with her grandma, aunt and uncle. Oh the stories Frances
later recounted of the shenanigans that she and her brother, Vernon, instigated during their stay
there. Suffice it to say, when it was time to leave Norway to travel back home, her grandmother
said to her mother, “Marie, next time you visit, please leave the children at home!” Frances
celebrated her 10th birthday on the ship coming back home. The captain recognized the
important young lady he had on board and invited her family to sit at his table in celebration.
Frances’ father was one of a small group of Scandinavians who migrated to the Tacoma area
and together ushered in the beginnings of a new church called The Scandinavian Mission. The
location and name of the church has changed a few times since those early days, but that
small beginning grew in number and has continued on for over 100 years. It is currently known
as Church For All Nations and is located on 112th Street in Tacoma. Frances met the love of
her life in that church. A large family from Superior, Wisconsin began attending there and one of
their sons, Lloyd Zetterberg, caught her eye. Frances and Lloyd spent a great deal of time
together, but they never had an actual date. Their time together was spent at church or with a
group of their friends from church. But one day something special happened. They were
chosen to be the best man and maid of honor at their friends’ wedding and as the two traveled
together in the car, Lloyd told Frances that she didn’t need to sit so far away. As Frances tells
it, she moved over next to him so fast, she was afraid she might knock him right out the car
door. Sometime later, Lloyd asked for her hand in marriage and the two were married on
February 9,1951.
In those early years together, Lloyd worked with his dad moving houses and then later worked
with his father-in-law in construction while Frances was busy working for Weyerhaeuser. Their
first child, Diane, was born in 1951; their second child, Karen, was born in 1954. God always
came first in their lives and with His guidance the couple stepped out in faith and in April of
1958 started a construction company of their own. Frances quit her job at Weyerhaeuser to
become a full-time wife, mother and business partner. Later that year, their third child, Joan,
was born. The family lived in seven homes. The first was a home that Lloyd remodeled; the six
that followed were new homes that Lloyd built himself. Life was full, but the couple wasn’t quite
finished building their family. Their fourth child, David, was born in 1961—yes, they had finally
gotten a son. And then came the baby of the family; their fifth child, Carol, was born in 1963.
Frances and Lloyd celebrated 65 wedding anniversaries together. She loved him so much, and
through the years there was one story about their early days that Frances loved to retell. One
Sunday, Lloyd entered the church they both attended in a new brown suit. Frances could see
him from up in the choir and as he stood in the back with his overcoat flung over his arm, his
hat in hand, her heart melted and she knew he was the one for her. Lloyd passed away on
January 28, 2017, just a few days before their 66th anniversary. Their life together had been a
beautiful story of love, and losing him was heartbreaking for Frances. But God was with her as
she walked through that transition, just as He always had been. Frances was given a diagnosis
of stage 4 cancer just a year later. Her oncologist explained that without treatment he thought
she would have about 3 to 6 months to live, and then he asked her if she wanted to fight it.
“Well, yes,” she replied. “I’m still enjoying my life.” She completely surpassed all expectations
and enjoyed her life for nearly three more years.
Frances loved God and she loved people. She lived a life of service volunteering untold hours
of her time in different areas of her church. She had many artistic gifts and excelled at the gift
of hospitality as well. She showed kindness and respect to everyone she came in contact with,
always looking for ways to serve others. To know Frances was to know unconditional love and
warm acceptance. Her friends experienced that through long years of friendship with her, and
her family was blessed beyond measure with her great love for them.
And no description of Frances would be complete without saying that she loved to laugh and
have fun. She could be a real character, and we mean an over-the-top character, with family
and friends. She created a home that all of her kids wanted to keep coming back to. And then
it became a place her kids’ spouses and their children wanted to keep coming back to. All-inall, her family consisted of five children, two sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, nine
grandchildren and their spouses, and seven great-grandchildren with a set of twins on the way!
Wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandma, great-grandma, and friend, she did it all so beautifully.
On the last day of her life, her family gathered in her home to be with her. They sat for hours
talking and laughing together—something she always loved to see. Then they gathered around
her bedside and prayed with her. Her daughters and granddaughter lingered there with her
awhile longer, and as they sang an old hymn that she loved, “It Is Well With My Soul,” she took
one last peaceful breath and entered into the presence of her beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. Her
presence in our lives is a very great loss indeed, but we rejoice with her in the attainment of her
new home in Heaven, and we have the assurance that one day we will be together again.
Though current circumstances will not allow for a large gathering to celebrate Frances’ life, we
would cherish the opportunity to hear your memories.. Please share them with us here. A
private service will be held at Oasis Church in Lakewood on Tuesday afternoon November
10th. The service will be broadcast live and also available for viewing later. Please look for a
link posted on the Facebook pages of one of her children for more information on how to join us online.
What’s your fondest memory of Frances?
What’s a lesson you learned from Frances?
Share a story where Frances' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Frances you’ll never forget.
How did Frances make you smile?