Hoover Jr.  High Cheerleaders in April, 1958:
Frt.row: Fran Mathes, Barbara Wingate, Kathy Santodonato
Back row: Rita Maliszewski, Lucy Gaishin, Carol Baldwin

R.I.P., Fran ❤️ and Kathy ❤️

Rita Farkas

Fran’s pretty Senior Photo - in our 1962 LPHS Yearbook.

Rita Farkas

Fran was in our 1962 Lincoln Park High School Senior Homecoming Court: 
L-R: Joann Sawyer, Fran Mathes, Arlene Asseff, Mary Ellen O’Brien, and Carol Baldwin (crowned as Queen)

R.I.P. Joann Sawyer ❤️ and Fran Mathes ❤️

Rita Farkas

Fran and I teamed up to win the Hoover Science Fair- such fun!

Rita Farkas

Toni Witt-Kowalski, Fran Mathes Pryor and Rita Maliszewski-Farkas happily reuniting at our LPHS 62nd Reunion in Michigan in September 2024. It was especially poignant for Fran and I to room together, after not seeing each other in person since 1964, when she was a bridesmaid at my wedding.  Rita Farkas

Always fun on Friday! Fran will be missed!

Words cannot express anything appropriate for the loss we all are feeling at this time. Fran was a light on this earth…the best Grandma my boys could ever ask for. 
She was an amazing woman just full of life, with a huge heart and always ready to support and care for her family and loved ones.
Thank you Fran, for the life and the love that we shared with you. Your memories will be remembered forever. Rest in Eternal Love ❤️

We have such fond memories of Fran , Jen and  our Miz friends. Loved our outings, especially Navy Pier! Heaven has welcomed a beautiful addition!

Sue & Jill Halpin

Walt Disney World trip with Jennifer and Joshua in September 2025.

Frances Mary Pryor, née Mathes, born on February 19, 1944, passed away peacefully at home on October 24. Fran grew up in Lincoln Park, Michigan and graduated from Lincoln Park High School. With her husband, William Charles Pryor, Fran established homes in Flint and Grand Blanc, Michigan; Pittsford, New York; Naperville and Chicago, Illinois while growing a family and working towards her dream of owning a business. In 1992, her dream was realized with the opening of the first Arbor Vitae Java & Juice. Family and friends rallied to support the business as it grew its unique approach to service and provided a vibrant workspace for people with special needs. The highlight for Fran was when her daughter, Theresa, joined the business in 1995 so that they could share both business and lifestyle adventures together. Fran actively supported Misericordia Heart of Mercy, and she planned her week around her Friday volunteer sessions working at the Greenhouse Restaurant as well as the Saturday afternoon mass. 

Fran proudly searched for new challenges, completing her first mini-triathlon at the age of 55 and continuing her lifelong fascination with learning French with daily sessions of Duolingo. Following the loss of Theresa in 2010 and William Charles in 2015, Fran moved to downtown Chicago and tirelessly built yet another community of friends and neighbors around Edgewater and Misericordia with unique charm and a proud independence. Fran greatly enjoyed traveling with friends and family, recently celebrating a reunion with her classmates from Lincoln Park High School, attending a Katy Perry concert with Jennifer and friends, celebrating her grandson Joshua’s graduation from Air Force basic training, and visiting Walt Disney World with family amongst other adventures with great friends from Naperville and Chicago. A stack of adventure learning course catalogs indicating future plans towered on her kitchen counter at the time of her passing.

OBITUARY

Frances Mary Pryor

February 19, 1944 – October 24, 2025

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