Frances A. Heymans

Frances Ann Heymans (91) of Sleepy Eye, MN., died on Saturday, May 9, 2020, in St. Joseph, MN. Due to the pandemic, services will be postponed until state restrictions are lifted.

Frances was the second of three children born to Martin and Veronica (Jungers) Heymans in Sleepy Eye. She graduated from the College of St. Teresa in Winona, MN, with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition. She received a master’s degree in nutrition from a university in Tennessee. She had an accomplished career as a dietician in education and healthcare settings, serving as director of the Nutrition Division of the Michigan and Indiana State Boards of Health. She moved to West St. Paul, MN, where she worked for Beverly Enterprises, and in 1999 she moved back to Sleepy Eye to be close to her brother Phil and his wife Betty. She enjoyed playing bridge and shopping and had an extensive art collection. She had an enthusiasm for Native American artifacts and local history, volunteered at the Jeffers Petroglyphs, and enjoyed a trip to Colorado that included a road trip to Mesa Verde. She appreciated the finer things in life, had a lively wit, and enjoyed the company of friends. She was known as “Honey” to family and devoted to her nieces, nephews, and their children.

Frances is preceded in death by her brothers Robert and Phil (Betty), parents Martin and Veronica, and niece Therese Heymans.

She is survived by nieces and nephews Michael (Kathleen), Patt Heymans, Jerry, Mary Elizabeth (Warren) Moon, Steven (Susan Sink), Amy (Kevin) Kluesner, Ann (Larry) Rodich, Greg (Mary), Tim (Annie), Mark (Yoneko), Maria (Paul) Heymans-Becker, and Christina (Mark Herzog) Heymans-Arneson; and many great- and grand-nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to St. Mary’s School or Divine Providence Community Home in Sleepy Eye.  

The family wishes to extend their sincere thanks to the staff of Serenity Place in St. Joseph and the CentraCare Hospice staff for their loving physical care at the end of Frances’s life.