May 28, 1940 – August 6, 2021
Frances Magdalen (Melchiors) Etzkorn died Friday, August 6, 2021 after a long-term illness. She was born May 28, 1940 in Appleton, Wisconsin. Her family moved several times, eventually ending up in Wayzata, Minnesota where she graduated from Wayzata High School in 1958. Around 1960, Fran moved to Denver, Colorado and went to work for Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Colorado. After 23 years she retired and then got involved in marketing hardware products. When gaming started in Colorado, she started a business that served the casinos in dealing with their tokens and chips.
Fran always had a passion for helping people. She served as a volunteer firefighter, Training Officer, Deputy Chief, and Chief with the High Country Fire Protection District. After she retired from firefighting, she moved on to her long time passion – clowning. Her clown name was Kolo. She developed her clowning skills by attending Clown College in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Fran is survived by her husband John Etzkorn, and was preceded in death by her parents, Leo J. Melchiors and Edith Ollis Bailey, and her brother, Melbourne Eugene Wrolstad. A funeral mass will be held Friday, August 20, at 10:00 am at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, 3053 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO. Inurnment will be in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery at a later date. Because of COVID issues, a reception is not being planned.
An informal gathering will be held outdoors (weather permitting) at Roy’s Last Shot on Saturday, August 21 from 1-4. Cash bar and pizza will be served.
Donations in lieu of flowers can be made as follows. Checks for donation should be made out to: The Regents of the University of Colorado. In the check memo line put PH c/o Todd Bull MD-Etzkorn. Mail to The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care c/o Todd Bull MD, Anschutz Medical Campus-Research 2, Box C272 9th Floor, 12700 East 19th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045.
