Sister Mary Frances (Ann Joseph) Willcoxson, O.P.

Sister Mary Frances (Mary Fran) Willcoxson, O.P., 80, passed away at Lakeshore at Siena, on Sunday January 12th, 2025.

Mary Frances was born November 3, 1944 to Joseph S. and Frances M. (nee: Koss) Willcoxson in Detroit, MI. On September 8, 1962 she joined the Racine Dominicans and at her reception in 1963 she was given the religious name Sister Ann Joseph. She professed her first vows in 1965 and her final vows in 1974. In 1968 she returned to using her baptismal name, Mary Frances.

Sister Mary Fran spent many years in service to others in teaching and counseling. She began her ministry in 1967 at St. John High School, Little Chute, WI. Other places in Wisconsin where she served were St. Catherine High School, Racine; Milwaukee Spectrum, Inc., Midwest Center for Youth, and Acts Community Development Corporation, Milwaukee, WI. In 2000 she became the Executive Director of Daystar, Inc., Milwaukee and served there until 2011. In September 2015 she moved to Siena Center, Racine, WI. She became a resident at Lakeshore at Siena in January 2022.

Sister Mary Fran is survived by the Racine Dominican Sisters and Associates; her brother Jerry (Zoe) and her sister Maureen (Ken) Wilks; brother-in-law Al Masty; nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Joseph; her sister Rosanne Masty and sister-in-law Kay Willcoxson.

A Remembering Service will be at 8:30am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am in the Siena Center Chapel on Thursday, January 16th. Interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery Hwy 32. Memorials to the Racine Dominican Mission Outreach have been suggested.

The Racine Dominicans would like to extend their thanks to the Hospice Alliance Program staff and the staff of Lakeshore at Siena who cared for Sister Mary Fran.