Obituary of Frances J. Macfarlane

Frances J. Macfarlane, 83, of State College, died Thursday, December 14, 2017 at Foxdale Village. Born, February 24, 1934 in Hammond, IN, she was the daughter of William and Vanetta Todd McPherson. She married Benedict Macfarlane on April 12, 1958. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a daughter, Heather Coder of Centre Hall and her three grandchildren, Christina Coder of Spring Creek, David and Terena Coder of Centre Hall. She is also survived by her two sisters, Jean and her husband Richard Paver of Carol Stream, IL, and Pauline and her husband, Elmer Paver of Plainfield, IL. She was preceded in death by her parents and her older sister, Joyce Shoffroth. Frances was a 1952 graduate of Hammond High School. She received her Bachelor's degree in Secretarial Science in 1956 from Wheaton College with a minor in Christian Education. She later earned her Master's degree in Christian Education from Bob Jones University. She worked as a secretary for the Board of Education in Hammond, IN from 1956 to 1960. From 1970 to 1997 she served as the Director of Children's Ministries at Bethel Baptist Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. She was a member of the State College Christian Missionary Alliance Church where she enjoyed coordinating children's ministries. Frances had a passion for teaching young children about the Bible and training other teachers to do the same. She was also a talented gardener. She loved spending time with her family and she loved being a mother. She took great joy in her grandchildren. She taught them the Bible and shared her love of gardening with them. Fran and Ben were married for almost 60 years. They traveled the world together, served side by side in their church and were each other's best friends. Visitation will be 1:00 pm on Monday, December 18, 2017 at the State College Alliance Church, 1221 W Whitehall Rd, State College, PA 16801. A Memorial service will follow the visitation at 2:30 with Pastor Aaron Henning officiating. There will be a private burial with family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, 12 Cedars Ave, Harvey Cedars, NJ, 08008, in Frances's memory. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.