Jeanne Louise Francis

Jeanne Francis

On a hot summertime day, August 15, 1933, a gorgeous baby girl entered this world to the delight of her parents, John Francis Jr and Annie Ruberta Fisher. Her name was Jeanne Louise Francis and she would go on to live a life that improved and impacted many.

In her own writing, she described her youth as such: ““Teenage years spent with many great friends. Hooper Avenue was my elementary school. Onto Carver Junior High for the first few years, then Catholic school at St Vibiana’s in downtown LA. Transferred to Thomas Jefferson High in 10th grade. So much fun, so many good friends. Good childhood. All too short!”

As a young woman, Jeanne fell in love and married a young military man named William Sexton. They went on to have three children, Denise Amanda, Brian Marshall and Darlene Roberta. She raised her children in and around the Los Angeles area, buying homes in central LA and Compton. Jeanne studied, trained and dedicated herself to a thriving career as a Licensed Vocational Nurse in the field of gynecology and obstetrics. She provided compassionate, superior healthcare to thousands of women through her work at USC, UCLA and UCI Medical Centers. She was especially proud to be part of one of the first mobile units that provided OBGYN services to Black and Brown communities in Los Angeles.

Beyond her robust career serving others, she built a tight knit and loving circle of family and friends, including her dearest and closest loved ones Alberta and Calvin Lynch. She was lucky to find romance throughout her life with marriages to Robert Turner and Arnold Copeland over the years. She traveled to many states including Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Louisiana on vacations both for pleasure and as a part of her second career working closely with the Castro family. In her retirement, she enjoyed knitting intricate, colorful blankets and scarves and working on a good crossword puzzle. She lavished time and attention on her grandchildren and shared her love and knowledge with the children of friends, coworkers and neighbors. She remained a devout Catholic Christian throughout her life.

On July 9, 2023, at the age of 89, Jeanne journeyed on to her glory to join her beloved children, Deni and Bubbie, her parents Daddy John and Mom, her best friends Al and Cal, her son-in-law Murray Maye and her great grandchild, Cali. She will be deeply missed by her daughter Darlene, her grandchildren Ava, Jina, Tera, Kristopher and Nicholas, her great grandchildren Mali and Kadon, her grandson-in-law Hady, her nephews Courtney and Chris and a vibrant circle of friends who will remember and love her always.

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