Frances Van Da Huvel

Frances Van Da Huvel, 98, died peacefully February 23, 2015. The daughter of Peter and Henrietta (Coenen) Pansier was born July 31, 1916 in the Town of De Pere. Her father Peter, at the age of six, immigrated from Holland in 1881 with his parents. Her mother, Henrietta, was the granddaughter of Theodore Coenen who came with the first migration of Dutch to Brown County in 1848. The fifth of seven children, Frances was raised on the family farm, which continues to be operated by her nephews. Frances graduated from De Pere High School in 1934 having received several awards for her secretarial courses. In her working career she was employed by Northeast Co-op, East Side Chevrolet in Milwaukee, and Franken’s Drug Store. From 1965 to 1983 she was the secretary for the Social Work Department at the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. She then retired to a new position at St. Francis Xavier Parish in De Pere working as the parish bookkeeper and secretary, retiring two weeks before her eighty-seventh birthday in 2003. She was a member of the Brown County Historical Society and a charter member of the Our Lady of Charity Guild. On June 14, 1947 she married Milton Van Da Huvel, they later divorced. Her main focus in life was her children and grandchildren. She strove to support her children in their educational endeavors, at which she was a great success. A woman of great character Frances was always interested in world affairs and democracy. She was known for her great smile, wit and sense of humor. In her retirement she enjoyed oil painting with her sister, Sister Evelyn Pansier and a niece. She loved her flower gardens and playing cards with family members. She took her first Harley ride in 1942 and her last 45 mile ride at age 94. She is survived by her four children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren: daughter Mary Jane Herber; son Kelly (Trudy) Van Da Huvel, their son Nathan; daughter Jo Anne Aerts, her daughters, Stephanie (Andrew) Schlag, Christina (Christopher) Peeters and daughter Kenzie, Abigail (Gregory) Potts, and son Logan and daughter Miley; Dr. Scott Van Da Huvel and his wife Karen Christen. She is also survived by her brother Raymond Pansier and fourteen nieces including god-daughters Beverly Berken and Kathleen Moenssens and six nephews and their spouses. She was preceded in death by her parents, Pete and Hattie, son-in-law Robert Aerts, her sister Sister Evelyn Pansier, brothers and their spouses Wilfred (Fern), Walter (Pearl), James (Marie), sister-in-law Helen Pansier, and a nephew Wayne Pansier. An infant brother Winifred also preceded her in death. Family and friends may visit at Cotter Funeral Home, 860 N. Webster Ave., De Pere, on Friday, February 27, 2015 from 4:30pm until a parish prayer service at 7pm to conclude the evening. Visitation will continue on Saturday, February 28 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church 220 S. Michigan St., De Pere, from 10am until 10:45am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11am at the church with Rev. Judah Pigon, MF, officiating. Interment in Allouez Chapel Mausoleum. Online condolences may be sent to www.cotterfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Scholarships, Inc., 2301 Riverside Dr., Green Bay, WI 54301.