Jane Speers Franz

Jane Franz, a long-time Crystal Lake resident and community leader, died on October 23. She was 87.

The cause of her death, in hospice, was coronary artery disease.

Born in Chicago on November 25, 1937 to James and Mabel Speers, Jane attended Knox College and graduated from the University of Illinois. After college, she worked briefly in a refugee camp in Austria. Returning to Chicago, she met lawyer Bill Franz in a bar and immediately began what would become a lifetime together filled with love and laughter.

Jane and Bill married in 1962 and moved to his hometown of Crystal Lake later that year. Jane was active in the Association of American University Women and served on boards of the Raue Center for the Arts, the Friendship House Day Care Center, and was a member of the League of Women Voters. She was a keen bridge player who loved her weekly games with her friends and a long-time member of the First Congregational Church.

In 1975, Jane won election to the Crystal Lake Park District board. She served three terms, including six years as the board’s president. During her tenure, the park district added many assets to keep up with Crystal Lake’s rapid growth. In addition to purchasing the Racket Club tennis facility, it acquired parcels of land that would later become parks, including Sterne’s Woods and Lippold Park.

Jane was proceeded in death by her parents, her husband Bill, and her son-in-law, Andy Soden. Survivors include her brother Bob Speers (Mary) of Aurora and sister Judy Morton of Denver, Colorado. She leaves behind daughters, Liz Franz, Sue Soden and Julie McConnell (Joe) and son, David Franz (Kelly), and her seven grandchildren: Katherine and Alex Franz, Emma and Isabel Soden, and Lucia, Carly, and Paige McConnell.

Jane struggled with the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease in her last decade of life. Despite her declining verbal ability, she remained a reliable source of unexpected, good-humored, and exquisitely timed wisecracks.

Jane often mentioned how much she loved Crystal Lake, the community, her family, and friends.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, October 29 from 4-7:00 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home in Crystal Lake. The funeral service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Crystal Lake at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 30. 

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made to the First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake or to the charity of the donor’s choice.