She is a quiet, unassuming woman who has the spunk of a 70 year old.  When you spend time with Frances, it is hard to believe that she will be 92 on February 15th.   A Golden Girl in our community, and this is just a small chapter of her life story.
Born in Rome, New York, Frances Steve grew up with her parents who immigrated to America from an area of “Russia.”  Her father’s first stop was Ellis Island.  It was common practice in those days to shorten a very ethnic name to something simple and easy to  spell and pronounce.  Frances explained that having the last name Steve was often confusing, as most people think of this as a first name.
Frances remembers that her mother, whom she lost when she was just 16, always told her that “before you say your prayers, think about one good thing that you did for someone today.”  Frances still lives by that rule, and it has served her well.  Her mother also told her that “when you get a good feeling about something, that is God blessing you.”  The values that Frances learned from her parents are worth considering when we are raising our children and grandchildren today.
When Frances graduated from high school, she looked to her older sister for guidance regarding a career path.  Her father worked hard in a factory, and her sister found a good job at a local bank.  She suggested that Frances consider a job offer from a family who owned a wire company and needed a nanny to care for their four children.  Frances enjoyed taking care of the children and teaching them to play games, noting that at one time she hoped to become a “physical trainer.”  She explained that she used to take walks to do her thinking in those days and stopped to talk with a neighbor who was considering nursing school.  Again Frances used the wisdom that her mother had taught her when she said “pick something that you can do that will provide you with a good living.”  Frances and her young neighbor applied and were accepted to the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Syracuse, New York.  
During the four years of training, Frances found herself a member of a select group of six young women from her class who were assigned to spend six months at the New York Foundling Hospital.  The hospital provided medical treatment, adoption and support services to mothers and children.   At that time it was used for training nurses and other medical professionals from throughout New York.  Later she was assigned to a mental hospital where the strict nuns in charge of the St. Joseph program taught the nurses to care for the most difficult patients they might encounter.  
In 1943, World War II had changed the landscape of Europe significantly.  Frances had completed her training and passed her exams for state licensing.  Her classmates were making application to the Red Cross and other organizations, but Frances, having worked with both Army and Navy nurses, elected to join the Navy on March 23, 1943.  After a brief trip to New Orleans to visit a stepbrother, Frances boarded a train to Rome, New York for one last visit to her hometown.  Her first assignment was the Brooklyn Naval Hospital.  Upon arrival, she was whisked away to a clothing store on Fifth Avenue to be fitted for a custom-made dress uniform.  She appears in that same uniform for the photo taken for this article in early January of this year.  In November, she left on a train bound for the San Diego Naval Hospital.  The nurses rode the train for three days without the benefit of a sleeping berth.  Over the next several months, she was sent to Climate Falls, Oregon where she served in a military hospital that specialized in caring for soldiers with Malaria.  The next stop was Seattle, Washington for a brief time. followed by a return to New York where she received orders for an assignment in London.
The voyage to England took place on an ocean liner that had been commandeered for transporting military personnel.  Frances met a young Army Air Force officer on that ship who was “six foot tall” named Joseph Gibbons.  She explained that he was carrying materials to the command in London and that he would sit by her during meals and ask her to take strolls on the deck.  Joseph obviously was smitten by the young Frances Steve.  Over the course of her assignment in London, Frances befriended a number of the British women who cleaned the hospital wards.  Because of the war, they could not get nylon stockings in those days.  Working with her sister and using Joseph as the courier, Frances managed to gather enough pairs of nylon stocking for gifts to the British women she had come to know as friends.  When she left to return to the states, the women had saved enough of their ration coupons to host an elaborate going away party for her.  During her tour in London, Frances found that she could purchase a carton of cigarettes for a dollar.  Although she did not smoke, she was able to use the cigarettes to barter for services and supplies with the local people.  Frances spent 12 years as a member of the United States Navy on active duty.
While at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, Joseph took her to meet his parents who lived in the area.  In 1949 they were married.   Joseph spent 55 years with the Army Air Force, which changed to the Air Force we know today and as a civilian employee, ending his career at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  Over the years the couple lived in California, Washington, D. C., Germany and Greece, moving finally to Enon in the 1960's.  Their daughter Mary Frances, named by her father, was born in Germany.  During their years of service, Frances continued her nursing career until the birth of her daughter.  Mary Frances is married and has an active law practice.  Frances is clearly proud of her daughter’s accomplishments and very fond of her grandson Devin.
On June 25, 2011, Frances was part of an Honor Flight group that traveled to Washington, D. C.  Out of the 31 veterans who traveled that day, Frances was the only woman and the only one who wore their original uniform. The whirlwind trip began at 3:00 a.m. Saturday in Dayton.  The veterans and their hosts flew to Baltimore and then boarded a bus bound for the monument area of Washington.  A box lunch was provided prior to moving across the Potomac for a tour of Arlington National Cemetery.  Joseph is buried at Arlington, and Mary Frances and Devin drove down to meet the group, so that they could accompany Frances to his grave.  Following a buffet dinner, the veterans boarded the plane for the trip back to Dayton, arriving around 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
Frances will celebrate 92 years of a life well lived on February 15, 2012.  The Enon Eagle would like to do something very special for her.  We will be accepting birthday cards until February 10th.  You can mail your card to Frances G. c/o The Enon Eagle, P. O. Box 281, New Carlisle, OH  45344, or send your good wishes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (no e-cards please).  The good wishes will be delivered to her in time for her birthday.  Help us to recognize a World War II veteran who gave so much to the patients she cared for as a Navy nurse.