Frances Anita Broeker – May 16, 2025

Frances Anita Broeker (formerly Simon, née Baumgardner), long-time resident of Colorado Springs, passed away peacefully of natural causes after declining health in the presence of her three daughters on May 16, 2025, and enveloped by the love of her two sons, three living siblings, and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

Frances was born in Thompson, North Dakota, on December 23, 1927, and raised during the depression picking crops and working at home and in the houses of others. Her father Wayne worked in the local grain elevator and was a well-known pianist and musician who played for local dances. Fran retained a lifelong love of jazz, ragtime piano, and dance. She graduated Salutatorian from Thompson High School in 1945, and married decorated World War II Army paratrooper James Robert Simon in 1947; they lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and had three children, Lynette, Kay, and Larry, before Jim died in 1958. 

Left a young widow with three small children, Fran was lovingly supported by her parents and parents-in-law, her siblings, and sister-in-law Joanne. She worked for a number of years at the Vets Club in Grand Forks, where she met her second husband, Air Force veteran Donald Broeker. They had two children, Eric and Jackie. Fran and Don lived successively in Littleton and La Junta, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Pueblo, Colorado, before settling permanently in Colorado Springs in 1974. Fran and children often worked alongside Don who managed a series of hotels and restaurants. In retirement, Fran and Don were active members of St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Fran and Don’s home was the location of large family holiday gatherings and remained so long after Don died in 2008. Even after moving to assisted living in 2019, Fran delighted in the holidays, now hosted in Colorado Springs by her daughter Lynette, and in visits from her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Fran was an avid sports fan and especially enjoyed cheering for the University of North Dakota hockey team, the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Avalanche. Fran’s children and grandchildren will always remember her love of wine hour and her enormous capacity for love and laughter. 

Frances was predeceased by her father, Wayne, who passed away in Torrance, California, in 1979; her mother, Gladys, who passed away in Colorado Springs at the age of 105; her siblings: Joyce, Jack, Clyde, and Gordon; and her son-in-law, Kent Nygaard.

She is survived by siblings: Carroll Baumgardner (Glennda) of Reno, Nevada; David Baumgardner (Cynthia) of Fargo, North Dakota; Rita Walker of Reno, Nevada; children: Lynette Nygaard of Colorado Springs; Kay Hallen of Sydney, Australia; Larry J. Simon (Cynthia Craig) of East Lansing, Michigan; Eric Broeker (Karen) of Ankeny, Iowa; and Jackie Browning (Brent) of Sunnyvale, California; step-daughters, Chris Hegtvedt of Minneapolis and Mary Vierzba (Marv) of Brainerd, Minnesota; grandchildren: Jamie, Alexandra, and Jesse; Joseph and Camilla Frances; Josh, Thomas, Ashley Frances Lenore, Rhianna, and Skylar; Ryan and Austin; and great grandchildren: Ella, Avery, Bodhi; James, Jude, and Margaret; Kayson and Shailoh. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Shrine of Remembrance – 1730 East Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, Colorado. Condolences to the family can be sent c/o Lynette Nygaard, 591 Shrubland Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.

In lieu of flowers a donation can be made in the name of Frances Broeker to the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/) or Meals on Wheels America (https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/donate/).