Home » Obits » Rutherford, Frances “Fran” Behnke

Rutherford, Frances “Fran” Behnke

Frances “Fran” Behnke Rutherford, age 95, of Schofield, died on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at her home in Schofield with her husband Jim by her side.

Frances was born on February 4, 1923 in Niagara, Ontario, Canada to the late Ernest and Gwendolyn (O’ Toole) Pinder. She married Jim Rutherford on October 3, 2009. Together they owned and operated Avenue Lounge on Grand Avenue. She was a hard worker. She lost her mom at the age of 9 and was sent to Canada to work on the farms in the summer. She worked from the age of 9 until the age of 95, of which 60 years were spent waitressing. She loved to make people happy and to make her customers feel warm. Fran was an amazing cook who loved baking and making soups and was famous for her desserts that she served at Avenue Lounge. She was an avid golfer, ballroom dancer, gardener, and enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and playing solitaire. Fran also loved shopping, going out to lunch, and getting her nails and hair done. She was most definitely a fashion queen

Frances is survived by her husband Jim Rutherford of Schofield; daughter Darlene Loose of Bear Creek; stepdaughter Janice Kellogg of Stoughton; sisters, Alice Yalkin of Mt. Clemons, MI and Betty Lou Sheehy of Detroit; grandchildren, Jodi (Rod) Anderson of Bear Creek, Jay (Nikki) Loose of Clintonville, Laurie Johnson, Valerie Hammer, and Thomas Kellogg; great-grandchildren, Amber and Michael Anderson and Travis, Chase, Bailey, London, and Lily Loose; and great-great-granddaughter Quinn. Besides her parents she was preceded in death by one son, Wayne Behnke

Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 19, 2018 at Brainard Funeral Home-Everest Chapel, 5712 Memorial Court, Weston. Visitation will take place from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home on Thursday. Burial will take place at Graceland Cemetery in Clintonville, WI. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Aspirus Hospice Services. Online condolences may be given at www.brainardfuneral.com

The family would like to thank Aspirus Comfort Care and TLC.

Scroll to Top