Frances J. Stroud died on January 9, 2026, at her home in Palm Desert, California, at the age of 79, from the effects of inoperable glioblastoma.
The fourth of six children, she was born November 16, 1946, in Sparta, Wisconsin, to Spencer K. (“Pat”) Hoffman (1909-1981) and Martha C. Schaitel Hoffman (1913-2001). Her siblings were Margaret A., David R., Katherine J., Patrick J., and Gretchen M.
Franny attended St. Patrick School and Sparta High School, after which she joined her older sister Kathy in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the mid-1960s, they both worked there for a time at casino hotels, notably The Dunes, where Fran was a front desk clerk. She lived in California during her short marriage to Michael Floyd, and apart from several years spent in Reno, Nevada, lived the remainder of her life in that state.
She married Harold R. Stroud on June 7, 1975. Harold later became President of the Rainbo Baking Company in Sacramento. They enjoyed buying and selling homes – sixteen total over the decades – in the Sacramento and Palm Springs areas, as well as in Fresno and Reno. Fran operated a hot dog diner called “Jasper’s” in the mid-1980s.
In 2009 they settled permanently in the Monterey Country Club, a golf community in Palm Desert, where they were avid golfers and enjoyed their new property. Fran and Harold took immense pleasure in the ocean, vacationing many times in the Caribbean, among other locations, including destinations with clothing-optional beaches. In later years they delighted in California get-aways in their motor home. Neither was likely to turn down an opportunity for a trip to a casino, where Fran’s favorite game was blackjack.
Beginning in the late 1980s and for many years consecutively, Fran routinely joined her other siblings every May in Sparta or another location to see and spend time with their mother. After their mother’s death in 2001, the siblings continued the tradition for many years. At these gatherings the family members enjoyed each other’s company, visited relatives and friends when in Sparta, and indulged a shared passion for garage sales and antique stores.
In addition to her parents, Fran’s husband, Harold, pre-deceased her on November 18, 2025, as did her sister, Margaret Lochner, in St. Charles, Missouri, in 2019, and brother, David Hoffman, in Jupiter, Florida, in 2018.
She is survived by her daughter, Dawn (Paul) Blaskowski, of Plover, Wisconsin, and one grandchild, Ryan Betker; by three siblings, Katherine J. Maddock of Rancho Cordova, California; Patrick Joseph Hoffman (William Davis) of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Gretchen M. Davis of McKinney, Texas; as well as one sister-in-law, Olga Hoffman, of Jupiter, Florida. She is additionally survived by nephews Robert (Karen) Lochner, Thomas (Toni) Page, Mark (Nicole) Maddock, and Michael Davis (Ana Hodges); nieces Andrea (Michael) Hill, Sandra Hoffman, Dawn Hoffman, Alicia (James) Cook, Deanna Maddock (Derek Maldonado), and Marta (Patrick) Merchak; and many first cousins in the Hoffman and Schaitel families. She also leaves behind her brother-in-law, Ronald Stroud, and wife, Loralee, who generously oversaw an excellent caregiving team for many months, handled affairs, and made arrangements for both Harold and Fran. She is remembered by her life-long friend, Joyce Massey McCarthy of Sparta, as well as many friends in their Palm Desert community and elsewhere.
A celebration of life for Fran and her husband, Harold, will be held in Palm Desert at a later date.
