Frankie Lou Hanley was born March 22, 1940 in Waldron, Arkansas, the daughter of Harvey and Tina Scarborough Black.
Frankie lived in California until she moved to Minnesota in 1996. She loved her time on her farm in Baker, Minnesota. The friends in Minnesota and North Dakota always held a very special place in her heart. Her time in Minnesota was one part of her life that she always said she would do again. She cared for 100 animals and provided a loving and safe home for countless foster children. In 2007 she moved to Cleveland, MO. and continued to open her heart and home to foster children.
Frankie was a member of the Baker-Downer Presbyterian Church and attended services at the Stilwell Methodist Church in Stilwell, KS.
The simplest pleasures in life brought her great joy. She loved quiet times with family and friends. She enjoyed road trips across the country, especially the trips that sometimes took all of the wrong turns. One of those trips ended with her and her traveling cat, Junior stalking a moose and spending the night in a condemned tent cabin in the Grand Tetons!
Frankie also loved spending time with her friends, family, and neighbors at the dinner theatre, the Greenwood Tea Room, at POW WOWS, and prowling antique stores and thrift stores with friends and family in search of treasures and chocolate sets. She also had a love of cooking and was known for her meals that fed the soul. Her meatloaf, ribs, chicken and dumplings, potato soup, and crawfish tail soup were the best. She simply had an uncanny ability to find happiness in her daily activities. Her strength, wisdom, courage, and sense of humor were contagious and inspirational to everyone she met. Her battle with serious medical issues in recent years showed her courage in facing life’s challenges with a smile and a sense of humor.
Frankie was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and life partner. She cared for all those around her, offering love, support, hope, and great home-cooking to everyone. She will be long missed and forever remembered.
Frankie was preceded in death by her parents and infant son John Christopher Oak. She is survived by her sons, Brian Oak and wife Sandy of Renton, WA., and David Hanley of San Jose, CA., granddaughter Shannon Hanley of San Francisco, CA., and partner Gloria Hartman of Cleveland, MO., along with her beloved yourkee, Itti Bitti
