Frances L.A. Kasemeier
Frances Lucille Anderson Kasemeier, 98, of Hot Springs, Ark., passed away Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Frances was born June 3, 1924, in Waverly, Iowa, the third daughter of the late Ray and Faye Anderson, followed two years later by a brother, all cradle Catholics. In her early years, she and her brother were outdoor children, swimming, sand lot ball, ice skating, sledding and anything outdoors. She took tap dancing lessons with her sister. She was a Girl Scout when they only sold one kind of cookie. In high school, she was a majorette in the marching band. During her junior year of high school, World War II began and all male graduates had to sign up for induction into service.
After graduation, she worked at J.C. Penney’s and started dating a former classmate, Carl Kasemeier. Carl was called into military service and released in 1946. A year later, she and Carl were married.
The Korean War began and in 1950, Carl was recalled into active duty. On Oct. 12, 1951, he was wounded and spent many months in the hospital at Camp Atterbury. He was then assigned to St. Cloud, Minn., from 1953-1955 and then to Frankfort, Germany. Their son, Casey was born in 1956. During this assignment, Frances was a Girl Scout leader and played softball.
In 1958, Carl was assigned to Fort Benning, Ga., as Company C Commander of School Troops. It became Frances’ job to organize the wives of students in C Company. She set up orientation regarding post policies. Each group elected officers to serve while husbands were in school. The primary reason to organize was all gatherings had to be held on base, as Georgia was a segregated state.
Carl and Frances adopted a baby girl and named her Julia when she was 13 months old. Frances and a friend went to Denver, Colo., working in a plant making necessary war essentials. She served in the USO and later moved to Lynchburg, Va., doing essential work and was a member of the USO there. Back in Iowa, while Carl served in the Philippines, she worked for the Department of Agriculture. Then assigned to Garmisch, Germany, in 1962, Frances was very active at church and was a member of the Officers Wives Club, on a bowling team and square danced. She also had a den of Boy Scouts.
Carl received orders shortly for Vietnam and Frances became a baseball mom for Casey, while Julie was in preschool. Vatican Council II was in Rome and Garmisch was a good stopover, no matter if you were going to Rome or going home and many clergy found Frances and Carl’s home a welcome place. Frances served as secretary for the Military Council of Catholic Women, which covered all bases out of the U.S. In 1965, Carl chose Arkansas as his last duty assignment and was assigned as the Army leader to the reserve units in southwest Arkansas.
Frances was a faithful member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, where she became the first woman to lector, eventually receiving an acknowledgement for 40 years of service. She was a member of St. John’s Counsel of Catholic Women, the Century Club, Vanilla Investment Club, Emblem Club, Sacred Heart Circle and the Social Justice Committee.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl Edward Kasemeier; daughter, Julia Faye Kasemeier; siblings, James Russell Anderson, Lenore Elizabeth Anderson Hazlett and Raejean Bolin.
Survivors include her son, Casey Kasemeier and wife, Daphneleah; niece, Natasha Faye Kasemeier; grandchildren, Blake Kasemeier, Grace Faye Kasemeier, Austin Lee Kasemeier, Autumn Faye Spainhour, Cody Dawson Spainhour, Chevy Esten Spainhour and Harley Davidson Spainhour; great-grandchildren, Owen Kasemeier, Milo Quinn Kasemeier, Kimberlee Ann-Renea Faye Kasemeier and Envvie Annalee Sue Kasemeier.
Visitation was 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Gross Funeral Home. Rosary will be at 3:30 p.m. today, with Mass beginning at 4 p.m., at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, with Father George Sanders officiating.
A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, June 3, 2023, at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Waverly, Iowa.
Guests may register at http://www.grossfuneralhome.com.