Frances Goodwin

Frances Prudhon Goodwin, 90, of Bern Township, died October 16, 2012 in Keystone Villa, Douglassville.

She was the wife of Harry Eugene Goodwin.

Born July 10, 1922 in Nashua, Iowa, Frances became a writer, editor, and cartoon illustrator, as well as a mother and homemaker. Frances graduated with a BA in Journalism in 1943 from the University of Iowa, where she met and married her husband in that same year. They had four children.

She worked after graduation from college as a reporter for the Waterloo (IA) Daily Courier. Later, while raising her children in State College PA, she worked part-time as a research assistant in psychology and a librarian at Penn State University. She also Freelanced as an editor and cartoon illustrator of text books in nursing education and in journalism ethics, and she created a sassy plump young woman named "Muffin" to illustrate a humorous booklet arguing that "You Don't Have to Be Thin!"

She also contributed her humorous cartoons to illustrate newsletters, brochures and other materials for church and social welfare groups. She somehow found time to teach scores of adult illiterates in the State College area how to read. She and her husband retired part-time to Mount Dora FL in 1987.

Fran is survived by her four children; Mrs. Geri Huey of Reading PA; Mrs. Susan Havens of State College PA, Gibson Goodwin and Michael Goodwin of Wimberly TX; two grandchildren; Mrs. Kristyn Huey Lederer of Pennsburg PA, and Derek Huey of Royersford PA, and five great grandchildren. As she wished, no public funeral service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the scholarship fund she and Gene had established to aid disadvantaged journalism students at Penn State: The Gene and Fran Goodwin Journalism Scholarship, External Relations Office of the College of Communications, Penn State University, 301 James Building, 123 South Burrowes St., State College, PA 16801. Edward J Kuhn Funeral Home Inc. is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhome.com