Fran Skene – Memorial

Memorial Service in loving memory of

Fran Skene

April 26, 2025

• 2 – 3 pm Memorial Service & Celebration of Life – In-person & live-streamed
• 3 – 5 pm Reception – In-person only

Please RSVP here

Obituary for Frances Joan Skene (Manning)

We are sad to announce that Fran Skene passed away a few hours after suffering a severe blood stroke at her home in Vancouver, BC.* Fran is survived by her children Dana, Sylvia, and James (Shannon Rotz), her grandson Jason Farrell (Skene), and her cat Bastet (Bubba).

Born in Revelstoke to Horace Charles and Winifred Elsie Manning (Keevil), and with her brother Dave soon to follow, Fran was an active child and teenager, climbing trees, swimming, riding horses, dancing, and skating, though she was NOT a fan of ballet. She was always fond of animals and nature, and at one time wanted to become a zoologist, ideally an entomologist (she wanted to study fruit flies because they’re really quite beautiful and varied) before finally becoming a librarian.** From her teenage years, Fran enjoyed being a seamstress as well as travelling.

Fran was a cheerful, witty, and involved volunteer and participant in many groups up until her death and will be missed by the many friends and acquaintances in her writing, amateur press (AWA), science fiction, puppetry, Callanish, women’s camp (PWCA), and other groups. Many still have fond memories of her Canadian Unity Fan Fund turkey readings, where volunteers read, acted out, and illustrated the worst passages from science fiction until paid to stop, please. (No, really, please; here’s another five dollars.)

Fran worked very hard on her craft, especially her storytelling—both written and oral—and her poetry and stories can be found in several publications. ***

Fran attended the Vancouver Folk Music Festival every year for decades, battling rain, heat, and other unfriendly weather without complaint to enjoy bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music. Fran was also keen on technology, adopting computers with a passion when they were first introduced, along with arts and crafts, especially textile arts, gardening, taking courses, backpacking, theatre (Bard on the Beach, anyone?), mince tarts, and meeting friends and enjoying science fiction and fantasy conventions and other fannish events in Canada and around the world.

What was most impressive about Fran was that, despite multiple health issues, she continued to live life with purpose and joy.

*Heartfelt thanks to family friend Bria Forbes for both helping Fran after her stroke and for getting in touch with those who knew her.

** A posthumous shout-out from Mum to badass librarian Rupert Giles, a major character in one of her favourite TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

*** For more on Fran’s life and work as a writer and science fiction fan, see R. Graeme Cameron’s In Memoriam in Polar Borealis issue #31 July/August 2024, which also contains Garth Spencer’s In Memoriam:
https://polarborealis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/POLAR-BOREALIS-31-July-August-2024.pdf

In Lieu

of flowers, consider making a donation on behalf of Fran to a cause she was passionate about or an enduring interest she had. Not sure? Here are a few ideas:

1. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders): You can make a donation through their Canadian website at https://action.msf.ca/site/Donation2?3020.donation=form1&df_id=3020&mfc_pref=T&s_locale=en_CA.
2. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada: Donations can be made via their website at https://www.heartandstroke.ca/how-you-can-help/ways-to-give. 
3. Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA): Support their efforts by donating at https://www.vokra.ca/donate. 
4. The Writers’ Exchange: Help fund literacy programs for under-resourced children and youth in Vancouver by donating at https://vancouverwe.com/donate-literacy-programs. 
5. Canadian Wildlife Federation: Contribute to the conservation of Canada’s wildlife and habitats by donating at https://cwf-fcf.org/en/donate/.