Fran Weiss was born in Cullman, AL, July 8, 1957, daughter of the late Frank and Helen (Veigl) Schwaiger. She died peacefully in her sleep, in the arms of her husband John, June 4, 2019, after a two‐year battle with gallbladder cancer.
Determined to escape the poverty of her youth, Fran worked hard to become valedictorian of her 1975 Cullman High School class. She then won a full scholarship to the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, from which she graduated Summa Cum Laude. After brief stints at Procter & Gamble and the Memphis VA Hospital, Fran was hired by Federal Express in 1982, the first woman engineer hired by the company. In her 31‐year career she worked in several positions in Memphis, TN; Nuremburg, Germany; and Seattle, WA. Her last 13 years were as the Ramp Engineer for the FedEx operation at SeaTac Airport. Even before her retirement, Fran was working on ways to encourage girls to pursue engineering careers. In 2010 she endowed a scholarship for Alabama girls to study engineering at Vanderbilt. In 2017 she endowed another scholarship for graduating Cullman High School seniors to study Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math at any university. She also was active for several years in IGNITE – Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution – in the Seattle School District.
Showing her softer side, with John she raised two puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind: Fergie now guides a physical therapist in Florida; and Evelyn guides a retired police officer in Alabama.
With her beloved Labrador/Golden Retriever therapy dog Tessa, Fran brightened the days of many patients at memory care facilities in Edmonds and Shoreline, WA for the past five years.
Fran is survived by her husband John Weiss of Edmonds, WA; sister Lisa Schwaiger of Birmingham, AL; and a large extended family, many in the Cullman, AL area.
A memorial service will be held at North Sound Church, 4th & Bell St., Edmonds, WA, at 2 p.m. Saturday June 29.
Donations to the Fran Kay Schwaiger Scholarship Fund at https://cacfinfo.org/give/fran‐kay‐schwaiger‐weiss‐scholarship/ will be appreciated.
