NORMAN — Florence Louise (Frank) Kratzer was born on March 5, 1922, to George and Rosa Frank at their family home in Oklahoma City, the second of four children. Shortly after, they moved to N.W. 14th Street for the remainder of her school years.
Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Resurrection Memorial Cemetery, 7801 NW Expressway in Oklahoma City.
During her junior year at Classen High School, she was an instructor at Koches School of Dance. There she met the love of her life, Howard Kratzer Jr., while he and his best friend were taking dance lessons. A year and a half later, they were married on Oct. 5, 1941, and spent the remainder of their lives together.
Flo was a career woman. After the attack of Pearl Harbor, she worked an iron press at a cleaning company in San Francisco while waiting for Howard to deport for an unknown destination. She then returned to Oklahoma City and began her career as a secretary at a legal office. After Howard’s honorable discharge from the Army, she stayed home to start their family. Gary Howard was born on April 20, 1947, and Judy Lynn on Feb. 5, 1951. Soon after, she returned to work as an administrative assistant for the president of Southwestern Insurance Group. She remained there for 29 years and later retired from OIL Insurance Company in 1986.
In 1987, Flo and Howard moved from Oklahoma City to Hall Park in Norman to be close to their daughter, son-in-law and precious granddaughters. Their retirement years were filled with those granddaughters’ activities, enjoying neighbors and numerous travel trailer trips. She also had many fond memories of camping trips shared with her siblings and summer vacations with Judy’s family. Flo is remembered with a big smile taking walks, watching birds, playing games and “poking” the campfire.
Flo departed this life Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. She is joined in Heaven with her beloved son, Gary, parents and other extended family members.
She is survived by her faithful husband, Howard; daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Tom Gibson; granddaughter, Amber Roop; granddaughter and husband Carlye and Kamas Rooney; great-grandson, Landen Roop; and loving caregiver, Kerrie Blood.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund, in Memory of Florence L. Kratzer, 333 N. Summit St., P.O. Box 10086, Toledo, OH 43699-0086, or by email to www.hearlandhospicefund.org.
Services are under the direction of John M. Ireland Funeral Home and Chapel in Moore.
Norman Transcript, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012
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