Francis, Elizabeth A., 1931-

Elizabeth Francis (nee Knath), born in Laramie, Wyoming on November 12, 1931, was the fourth of nine children. The family then moved to Salem, Oregon and Francis attended high school there through her junior year. She finished high school in 1949 in Saratoga, Wyoming, becoming the first of her siblings to graduate.

Francis married the same year she graduated and followed her husband’s quest for work to Oregon and California. It was in Santa Rosa, California that she entered into university course work for her Licensed Practicing Nurse (LPN) degree. Once they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, she entered the LPN program at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital and graduated in 1965.

During her five years in the Emergency Room at Memorial Hospital, Francis entered the two year Registered Nurse program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), graduating in 1971. She left the hospital to work for Dr. Fink for two years. In 1973, Francis was offered the opportunity to teach at the LPN school she had started with, and she also went back to UNLV for her baccalaureate degree in 1977. She also worked for Workmen’s Compensation for four year.

Francis was called to Sunrise Hospital in 1978 to fill a new position under the education department and worked there for 18 years. After retirement, Francis began working full time for the museum in Lorenzi Park. She worked in all areas and was docent for many years. She and other docents created their own program and studied, traveled, and read to further their art education. Francis painted in oils and watercolors, has held exhibitions, and even built an art gallery in her own home.