Lorraine Francis, 78, of Guemes Island, Anacortes, Washington, passed away at her home on September 12, 2026, three days before her seventy-ninth birthday. She lived a full and purposeful life, marked by a quiet, steady gift of caring for others—her family first, and then everyone who crossed her path.

Born September 15, 1947, in Upland, California, Lorraine was the daughter of Lambreth Hancock and Barbara Ayles. At the age of five, the Hancock family moved to Hawai‘i, where Lorraine grew up and went to school. Those island years shaped her warmth and her ease with people. It was there, at a beach party, that her brother Tom introduced her to his Navy shipmate, Gerald “Gerry” Francis. Lorraine and Gerry were married on July 15, 1967. The following year they made California their home, and Lorraine poured herself into the work she held dearest: making a home and raising their children with devotion.

In 1976, Gerry and Lorraine moved to Utah. With the children growing, Lorraine carried her caregiving nature into a second vocation. Drawing on a lifetime of tending to others, she served as an independent contractor performing paramedical examinations for life insurance underwriting. She traveled to applicants’ homes, gathered health histories with patience and respect, and treated each visit as a human encounter rather than a transaction. She retired from that work in 1992 to care for her first grandchild.

Over the years, Lorraine and Gerry enjoyed many visits to Guemes Island. Then, in 2004, she and Gerry chose to retire to Guemes Island and make it their home. True to form, Lorraine did not arrive as a spectator. Before they even found their permanent home, Lorraine met nearly everyone on the Island while working at the Northwinds Gallery. She joined Guemes Connects as a member, providing meals to Islanders. Eventually, she became one of the leaders of Guemes Connects and The Gathering, relying on her natural instincts for running an efficient kitchen. Later, she joined Gerry (then the Assistant Fire Chief) at the Guemes Island Fire Department, serving as Public Information Officer and as its “Chief Chef.” Feeding people was, for her, another way of caring for them. Philanthropy ran in the family and, for thirty-five years, she followed in her mother’s footsteps as a member of P.E.O. International. In Ogden she had been a devoted member of the First Baptist Church.

Away from her duties, Lorraine loved to travel. At home she found delight in orchids and in the hummingbirds that visited her garden—small, bright lives she watched with the same attentiveness she gave to people. Those who knew her remember a woman who noticed need and answered it without fuss: a meal, a word, a presence.

Lorraine is survived by her husband of fifty-nine years, Gerald “Gerry” Francis; her son, Patrick Francis (Tara); her brother, Tom Hancock; her sister-in-law, Sue Hancock, widow of her brother Bill; her son-in-law Mitch Montag (Malia’s husband); grandchildren, Megan (Cecil), Aleia (Taylor), Carrson (Lacee), Cameron (Sierra), and Caden; and her bonus grandchildren, Kyle (Katy), Weston (Shae), Mason, Olivia, and Jenaca; great grandchildren, Blakelee, Kodi, Alice, and Eleanor and bonus great grands, Skyleigh, Koehyn, Kaedric, and Zanyah.

She was preceded in death by her infant son, Christopher; her daughter, Shari Malia “Malia”; her son-in-law, Scott Bexell; her brothers, Bill and Bud (Marilyn) Hancock; and her sister-in-law, Karen Hancock (Tom’s late wife).

Lorraine leaves a legacy of kindness and service. Those who wish may honor her by a memorial contribution to the Guemes Island Firefighters Association—an expression of the same neighborly care she practiced every day on the island she loved.

To share memories of Lorraine please complete her online guest register. Bookmark this direct link to her memorial site to check on updates: www.evanschapel.com/obituary/lorraine-francis