Retired from nursing — but not from caring

Fran Field is a retired nurse who has continued her legacy of caring for people in need by supporting The Salvation Army.

Fran spent 30 years living in Rochester, Minn., with her husband, Roger, before he passed away in 2020. Fran was a stay-athome mom to the couple’s three kids before becoming a nurse later in life, while Roger spent decades working as a principal at several schools in Rochester and southern Minnesota.

Fran first met The Salvation Army during the years she spent raising her kids.

"I did a lot of volunteering back then," Fran said. "My first experience was helping in the food shelf."

That experience blossomed into many more years of service, including distributing Christmas toys and performing office work in a medical and dental clinic operated by the Rochester Salvation Army. She also served on the local Salvation Army advisory board for two years.

She particularly liked volunteering in the clinic, which operates with help from volunteer medical and dental professionals — many of whom work at Mayo Clinic.

"The services the clinic provides to the community are remarkable," Fran said. "The Salvation Army is fascinating to me because they help in so many different ways."

Fran also spent years volunteering as bell ringer during the Christmas season. She enjoyed ringing because she knew every dollar she collected would help people in Rochester.

"That is one of the most important things about The Salvation Army — the donations stay in the community," Fran sad. "As a person who served the community by volunteering for The Salvation Army, I saw how important the donations are to helping local people."

Fran has established a planned gift to The Salvation Army. To learn more about including The Salvation Army in your will or trust, or adding The Salvation Army as a beneficiary to your IRA, please call Tom Cierzan, Senior Director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 651-746-3515.