Sister of Notre Dame de Namur for 76 years and a life-long elementary school educator, Sister Rose Franci (Julie Dolores), SNDdeN, passed away at the age of 94 in Oakland on April 22, 2011.
Noted for her gentle smile and kind ways, Sister Rose Franci began teaching third graders in 1938 at Notre Dame School in San Francisco. A graduate of Salinas High School and College of Notre Dame, Sister Rose taught and administered at Notre Dame schools in California and Washington for almost 50 years.
A native of Salinas, she returned to her hometown in the 1970s to teach at Madonna del Sasso, then at her alma mater, Sacred Heart School, where she served as both teacher and principal until 1984. Even in her 80s, Sister Rose continued to impress upon students the joys of reading when she volunteered as the library assistant at Moreland Notre Dame School in Watsonville.
Sister Rose was preceded in death by her parents, Dominic and Ida Franci, her sister and brothers, Dorothy, Henry, and Felix Franci as well as Msgr. Dominic Franci of the Diocese of Fresno. She spent the last years of her life at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland. Sister Rose is lovingly remembered by former colleagues and students as well as her community, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.