Frances Haspel

Frances Louise Herrick Haspel died at her home in Durango on October 28, 2012, at the age of 91.

Mrs. Haspel was born on July 6, 1921, in Brooklyn, New York, to Richard Platt Herrick and Anna Gulbin Herrick. The youngest of four children, she was raised in Cooperstown, N.Y., and graduated from Syracuse University in 1942 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education.

Fran “Babe” Herrick was a talented vocalist and went to New York City to pursue her professional career with the Morris Agency. She was placed as the lead entertainer at the Beverly Gardens Club in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was there that she met and married L. Richard Haspel in 1946.

Mrs. Haspel was a choir member at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and an active tennis player in New Orleans for many decades. As a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Frances was evacuated by a SWAT team and moved to Durango to be near her son and his family. She was involved in many activities at the La Plata County Senior Center.

Mrs. Haspel was preceded in death by her ex-husband L. Richard Haspel in 2007 and her eldest son Richard Herrick Haspel in 2011. She is survived by her son Jeffry Haspel of Durango, and her grandchildren Meredith and Laura Haspel of Durango and Sarah, Steven, and Steele Haspel of Dallas.

A memorial service will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Durango on Friday, November 2, 2012, at 2 p.m. , with a reception following in the Parish Hall.