Kathie slipped free from her earthly shell on March 8, 2024, after 95 years of devoted service to family, friends, and underserved communities. Memories of her kind, selfless spirit will live on in all those whose lives she touched.

A second-generation California native, Kathie was born in 1928 in Santa Cruz to Clara Crosby and George W. Wood. Her older siblings "Bill," "Betty," Mary, and "Nan" were thrilled to welcome their baby sister.

After high school, Kathie studied classical voice while living in a girls' rooming house in San Francisco. When a blind date arranged by a roommate wasn't available at the last minute, UC Berkeley student Vincent Franger filled in. By the time the Song of Norway performance concluded with drinks at the Top of the Mark, Kathie knew Vince was the one for her. They married in 1951.

Kathie and Vince ultimately settled in Mountain View where he was a mechanical engineer at Lockheed. Kathie worked as an administrative assistant for several organizations until the first baby arrived. When their three girls were grown, Kathie returned to work outside the home. After retiring from the Mountain View School District offices, she volunteered her skills for various nonprofits, including So Others Might Eat (SOME) in Washington, D.C., and the Day Worker Center of Mountain View—the latter for 20 years until just a few months before her death. She was committed to social justice, marching, boycotting, leafleting, and picketing for immigration policy reform and improved conditions for farm laborers. Over the years, Kathie and Vince were parishioners of Saint Joseph's and Saint William's, where they added their soprano and tenor voices to the choir.

Going back several generations, Kathie's family were campers. She introduced Vince to the art on their honeymoon at Lake Tahoe's Meeks Bay and they were soon camping and backpacking all over the Sierra Nevada. Kathie also adored the ocean, returning often to the Santa Cruz beaches she loved as a child.

Kathie was preceded in death by Vince, her parents, all of her siblings, and her grandson Cheyne. Daughters Laura Corbett (Merle+), Teresa Allen (Tristan), and Carol Franger (Dan Ng) will sorely miss Mom's unwavering love and guidance. Beloved granddaughters Stephanie Hurst (Jared), Veronica Inglett (Dan), Danyelle Westerfield (Brett), and Mikayla Hansen (Cole) and her seven great-grandkids will dearly miss "Biz." Her step-grandkids and great-grandkids remember that Grandma Kathie loved them as her own.

No flowers, please. If you feel so moved, Kathie's generous heart would be delighted by a donation to the Day Worker Center of Mountain View or United Farm Workers. Or just spend some time in nature and imagine Kathie laughing with glee as she boogie-boards in the Santa Cruz surf.