Marjorie Fay France
Marjorie Fay France
IRON MOUNTAIN — Marjorie F. (Kleiman) France, 93, a longtime resident of both Norway and Iron Mountain, and in her later years, Naples, Fla., passed away at the Avow Hospice in Naples on Nov. 11, 2023, under the loving care of daughter Gloria and kind nurses.
Marge was born in Iron Mountain to William and Elaine Kleiman. She grew up in Kingsford and graduated from Kingsford High School in 1947. She then went on to graduate from Western Union School in Indiana and thereafter worked for Western Union in St. Ignace, where she met and married the love of her life, Raymond “Pete”Joseph France. In the following years they had four beautiful girls, Ann, Catherine, Judy and Gloria.
Marge and Pete raised their family as loving Christian parents. She taught Sunday school, played piano and loved music and to sing, especially in choirs and Christmas cantatas. She had great faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, which was reflected in how she lived her life.
After her children were in school, Marge went back to work as secretary to Larry Rubin at the Mackinac Bridge Authority. In 1966 Pete went to work for the City of Owosso and Marge worked at the Owosso Savings Bank before becoming secretary to the city manager of Owosso. In their final and last return to their beloved Upper Peninsula, she worked for and retired from the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District in 1990.
Marge is survived by two daughters, Judy (Robert) Schmidt of Columbia, Tenn., and Gloria (Dr. Frederick) Hoffmann of Harbor Springs, Mich., and Naples; six grandchildren, Peter (Kathleen) Gustafson of Charlotte, N.C., Ian (Kristina) Maahs of Sacramento, Calif., Eric (Elie) Gustafson of Owosso, Corporal Gabriel (Taunia) Stein of Dallas, Ga., Elaina (Dr. James) Manuele of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., and Anna (Ben) Willingham of Nashville; 10 great-grandchildren, Landon, Ava, Lincoln and Jackson Gusafson, Emmorie and Eli Gustafson, Estella and Emma Johnson, Sofia Manuele, and TJ Stein; one sister, Kathy (Ray) Clemo; and a sister-in-law Kris Kleiman.
Marjorie is preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Pete France; two daughters, Ann L. France (1998) and Catherine C. Gustafson (2023); a grandson, Aaron M. Schmidt (2016); brothers, Gordon and Harry Kleiman; and a sister, Lenore Edwards.
A private family service will be held in the Spring of 2024.