Frances Patricia Rideout

Frances Korhumel Rideout, 96, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2022. A lifelong Toledoan, Fran was a beloved teacher, mother, grandmother, and friend. Fran was born on September 22, 1926 to Francis P. and Gertrude A. (Mayers) Korhumel. She graduated from St. Ursula Academy, and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education at Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo, respectively. At BGSU she was a synchronized swimmer and a member of Delta Gamma, remaining active in the sorority for the rest of her life. Fran married her college sweetheart, Les Rideout, in 1950 and they raised their family in south Toledo. Fran was a dedicated teacher, beginning before her five children were born and then continuing after they were all in school. She particularly enjoyed her many years teaching sixth grade at Arlington Elementary. Any outing with Fran was likely to include an affectionate encounter with one or more of her ex-students. After retirement, Fran tutored many children, as well as adults for whom English was a second language. Fran was passionate about issues important to her. One friend describes her as "a formidable force in a diminutive package." She was a proud feminist and a role model to her own and other children, and often spoke out on social justice causes as well as matters of personal concern such as saving the South Toledo YMCA from demolition. Fran had many interests, a curious nature, and boundless energy. Her grandchildren remember their Nana's frequent admonition that "bored people are boring!" Fran maintained friendships throughout her life that had begun as a child or teenager, setting an example that her own children have happily followed. She also welcomed many new friends, often of disparate backgrounds, over the years. Her greatest friend and companion was her sister Marg (Chamberlin), and the two shared nearly all of life's experiences together. Fran was a lifelong member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help church. She was baptized and married there, and also attended its elementary school, as did Fran's five children. The OLPH school library was named after Fran on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Her activities in support of the OLPH church family included singing in the funeral choir and serving as a lector at Mass and an organizer of the church's memorial luncheons. Fran was active in alumni activities at St. Ursula Academy, and she received the school's Humanitas Award in 2013. She was a great reader and an active member of book clubs and the AAUW (American Academy of University Women), as well as an impeccable speller. Fran was an expert seamstress and quilter. She sewed clothing for herself and her children when they were small, joking that her last hurrah was the wedding gown she created for her daughter in 1984. She was also an avid card player. She excelled at bridge, and her grandchildren especially loved playing Scrabble as well as the card game Patience with their Nana. Fran grew up vacationing with her extended family at various lakes in Michigan's Irish Hills. When she had her own family, the tradition continued, and the Rideout children cherished their annual trips with their cousins and other relatives and friends, especially to Bear Lake near Hillsdale. Fran realized a dream in 1995 when she and other family members together bought a house on Lake Somerset. Another generation of children (and their parents and friends) delighted in frequent trips to the lake for summer fun, winter sports and endless board games. As Fran grew older, her enthusiasm for life and openness to new experiences continued. She loved to travel, and after retirement took many trips with her friends, both in the United States and abroad. Her family recalls her willingness to participate in whatever new adventure was proposed, with her regular response being "I want to do that!" Her grandchildren enjoyed challenging her to stand on her head, turn a cartwheel, or swim across Lake Somerset until well into old age. Fran's husband Les Rideout died in 1997. She is survived by her children, Joe Rideout (Bev), Leslie Wood (Jim), Mark Rideout, and Patty Rideout (Mark Newton.) Her youngest child John Rideout passed away on November 18, 2022. She is also survived by grandchildren Ellyn Rideout (George Aljoe), Brian Rideout (Blaire) and Christy Schirra (Jeremy), and Ben Newton (Tess Meklir) and Lauren Newton, as well as step grandchildren Matt, Mellissa and Wes Wood, and 7 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother George Korhumel, and is survived by her sister Marg Chamberlin, brother Frank Korhumel (Barbie), and numerous nieces, nephews and others for whom she was always "family." The family would like to thank the staff at Ohio Living Swan Creek who provided Fran with wonderful care and support over the past several years. A visitation will be held at Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S. Reynolds Road in Toledo on Thursday December 15 from 4:00-7:00pm, followed by a memorial mass at OLPH on Friday December 16 at 10:00am. Special messages for the family may be left at CoyleFuneralHome.com. Donations in Fran's memory may be made to St. Ursula Academy or OLPH Church.

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Frances Patricia Rideout

September 22, 1926 - December 7, 2022