Helen Franke Weiss of Springfield, Missouri passed away May 9 ^th , 2021 at the Manor at Elfindale.

Helen was born on April 18, 1920 to Rose Baumgartner Franke and Joseph Franke on a farm in northern Oklahoma. Her birth was registered in Seneca, Missouri, the nearest town. The family moved to Springfield when she was young and is where she attended St. Joseph Elementary and graduated from Springfield High School at 16. She earned her RN from St. John's School of Nursing and her Public Health Certificate from Peabody College in Tennessee.  In 1942, she met and married Robert Weiss while working for the Missouri Department of Health in Camp Carter, Neosho.

In their 57 years of marriage, five children, fourteen grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren joined the family. Helen took pride in being a mom, grandmother, and homemaker most of her adult life. She was a member for 10 years at St. Peters Catholic Church in Joplin, helping with her three oldest children and their activities in grade school and high school. She was also a long-time member of St. Agnes Catholic Church and most recently attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. When her youngest son began school, she worked as a school nurse for the Springfield Catholic Schools, continuing to share her faith and compassion in taking care of children. Bob, her beloved husband, passed away in 1998.

Helen is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Joseph and her son-in-law, James Stephens and is survived by her children: Jane Ann Stephens, Bob Weiss Jr. (Michele), Mary K. Thiel (Tim), Theresa Johnson (Frank), and Thomas Weiss (Kathy); grandchildren; great-grandchildren; sister, Ann Franke Deal (John); sister-in law, Nadine Franke; and 3 nieces and 3 nephews.

As a celebration of her long life, there will be a visitation at 10 am followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 11 am, under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery.