Frances Elizabeth (Pacheco) Fetterly
Funeral services for Frances Elizabeth (Pacheco) Fetterly were held Wednesday, September 16th at Berth & Rosenthal Funeral Home. She passed away on Sept. 8, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Frances was born on Nov. 19, 1935, to John and Maria Pacheco in Kailua, Maui, Hawaii. Growing up on a tropical island nurtured her lifelong love of nature and the outdoors. She found joy in playing with her sisters, Isabel “Bessie” and Lorraine, picking and arranging flowers, playing the ukulele, singing, and dancing. After graduating from high school, she moved to Honolulu and helped care for patients at Kapi’olani Hospital.
Frances met Roger Allen Fetterly in Honolulu, Hawaii, while he was stationed at the Marine Corps base. They married on Sept. 22, 1961, and moved to Wisconsin, where she worked as a nursing assistant at Lakeview Nursing Home in Madison. Caring for others came naturally to Frances. She was compassionate and thoughtful, always putting others’ needs before her own.
Frances and Roger had two children, Ross and Jennifer. As a resourceful wife and mother, Frances embraced the adventures and challenges of life as part of a Marine Corps family, moving with Roger and their children across the United States —including California, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia— before settling in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, when Roger retired after 20 years in the military.
Later in life, Frances volunteered at the Veterans Hospital in Madison and with community organizations, tended her flower and vegetable garden, and went on picnics with her family. Age didn’t slow Frances down; she thrived on staying active, being outside, and caring for the wildflowers on the Fetterly family farm in Peshtigo.
Frances had a gentle warmth and kindness that were so much a part of who she was, and that quietly touched the many people she met. She made people feel special and cared for.
Frances is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, Roger; son Ross of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; daughter Jennifer Fetterly (David Harrison) of Madison, Wisconsin; sister Lorraine Pekar (Norman) of Hollywood, Florida; sister-in-law Isabel Philipps of Marinette, Wisconsin; and many nieces, nephews, and godchildren.
Frances was preceded in death by her mother and father; sister Isabel “Bessie” Ventura of Maui, Hawaii; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Marie and Clarence Fetterly of Peshtigo, Wisconsin; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Marcella and Carter Nickoli of Oconto, Wisconsin; brother-in-law Calvin Phillips of Marinette; and many other family and friends.
Her kindness, gentle spirit, and love of family and friends will be deeply missed and forever remembered. Her presence on this earth made the world a better place.
