Frances Hargus Springfield 104, of Sweetwater, TX. formerly of Marathon passed away Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Hoyt Place in Sweetwater. A graveside service will be held 2 P.M. Wednesday, Feb.15, at Marathon Cemetery in Marathon. Arrangements are under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home. She was born November 12, 1918 in Alpine to the late George Washington and Ida Yancy Wilson Hargus. Frances took some pretty hard knocks in her young life. A World War that took her husband away from her during those precious years when their love was new and exciting. Then, only a few years later, death robbed her once again of her partner and father of her two young boys. Many people would have become bitter, angry, depressed, and spent their lives struggling with ‘why me?’. Frances had a soft place to land with her parents and her small town. She had her boys, her education, and her books. I always imagined she lived much of her life in her head from then on. The real world was a painful and scary place. I still remember how her eyes would light up when she talked about the books she was reading or shared stories of her family history and the way things were when she was little, during the carefree days of childhood. She always appeared to me very stoic and no longer vulnerable to the capriciousness of this life. I suspect that most of who Frances Springfield was, was hidden from the world. I know that her only real joy was found in her two boys. She lived through them and, in the end, found it very hard to leave them behind. They were her tether to this life. It pleases me to think that she is experiencing true transcendent happiness right now for the first time. She lived the life she needed to on this earth to get through it. “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” —2 Corinthians 5:6-8. Well done, Frances. Frances is survived by her sons Dan Springfield and wife Debra of Blackwell, Jerry Lee Springfield and wife Connie of Del Rio; grandchildren Eugene Springfield and wife Kelly of Marathon, Melissa Schuenemann and husband Craig of Evergreen, CO., Sarah Green of Gainesville, Kendra Blakeley and husband John of San Antonio, Sharie Moore and husband Philip of Canyon Lake, Joseph Danner and wife Lisa of Cameron, NC., D.J. Marthini and wife Maria of Phoenix, AZ., Abby Moss and husband Eric of Los Alamos, NM.; eighteen great grandchildren, four great great grandchildren and sister Betty Emler of San Diego, CA. She is preceded in death by her husband Henry Allen Springfield, parents and a brother. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mccoyfh.com.