Frances Fredrickson

Frances Pud Fredrickson, age 80, of Mankato, died Monday, August 30, 2004 at Oaklawn Health Care Center.

Funeral services will be held 1:00 p.m. Friday at St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Mankato with Rev. Gary Wong officiating. Burial in Glenwood Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Mankato Mortuary and one hour prior to services at the church on Friday. Memorials are preferred to St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Mrs. Fredrickson was born in Mankato on November 10, 1923, the daughter of Frank and Mamie (Carlson) Neubert of North Mankato. Known as Pud to family and friends, she was baptized in St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church of North Mankato, where she was confirmed in 1937. Mrs. Fredrickson graduated from Mankato High School in 1942. She was married to Oliver Fredrickson on February 10, 1952 at St. Pauls, and adopted two boys of Olivers, Phillip, 5 and James, 2, from a previous marriage. Son Scott Lee Fredrickson was born in May of 1955. The family lived in North Mankato, Sandusky, Ohio, Watertown, S.D., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Minneapolis. Oliver Fredrickson died in 1961 and the family returned to North Mankato the following year.

With her sons on the move to points west including Colorado, California and Alaska, Mrs. Fredrickson did likewise, residing in both Colorado and California before once again settling back in Mankato.

Mrs. Fredrickson had a beautiful singing voice, performing on Mankato radio station KYSM during the 1940s, and in 1949 joined two other women to form a local trio, the Harmonettes. She also sang in the choir at St. Pauls. A devout Christian, Mrs. Fredrickson was involved in the church throughout her life, teaching Sunday school, for which she was also secretary. She also belonged to the Mary Ruth Circle, two Bible study groups and was active in WELS Ministries.

She was employed at Carlson Craft of Mankato from 1979 to 1997. She also volunteered at the MRCI Thrift Store, at the Open Door Health Center and Immanuel-St. Josephs Hospital, and was a member and volunteer at the Summit Center.

Mrs. Fredrickson is survived by three sons, Phil and his family of Colorado Springs; Jim and his family of Seward, Alaska; and Scott of Minneapolis; by brother Stanley Neubert and his wife, Hazel of North Mankato; four grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband and by two sisters, Georgia Davis and Norma Helquist.