Frances Eileen Butler (nee Noble), 73, of Mercer Island, WA, passed away on May 16, 2017, at Sunrise of Mercer Island after a brief but courageous battle with cancer.

“Fran” was born in Welland, Ontario on March 9, 1944, and grew up in Port Colborne, Ontario. She studied nursing at Toronto Western Hospital and began her career as an ICU nurse in Ontario. Fran then took on the most important role of her life as the caring mother of her two children. She later resumed her career of helping others as an IVF coordinator for Virginia Mason and Pacific Northwest Fertility in Seattle.

As a long-time resident of Mercer Island and Madison Park, Fran enjoyed walking with her friends, biking, playing bridge and tennis, traveling and dining with friends and family.

She will be greatly missed by all that knew her. She is survived by her loving children, Samantha and Geoff, his wife Deanna and the grandchildren she adored, Isabella and Marc, her sister, Linda McGarvie, her husband John, and her two nieces and four grand-nieces.

A celebration of Fran’s life will be held at Mercer Island Beach Club on June 25, 2017, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a memorial fund in Fran’s name at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, P.O. Box 19023, Seattle, WA 98109-1023, or call (206) 288-2070.