Gretchen Dorothy (Poulson) Franz

Gretchen Dorothy (Poulson) Franz passed away peacefully on Jan. 3, 2008, in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Gretchen was born in Helena, Mont., on Sept. 10, 1913. She moved to California at the age of 17, where she attended secretarial school. Her secretarial and administrative skills led to a wide variety of jobs in government and the private sector. In the 1960s, Gretchen moved to the Palm Springs area where she worked for the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and served as a legislative assistant to numerous Republican state senators, assemblymen and members of Congress from the Palm Springs area.

Gretchen was well known in the community for her volunteer and political activities. She was affiliated with the California Women for Agriculture since its inception, was a member of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments and the Valley Players Guild as well as many other non-profit organizations. She served on the local Republican State Central Committee and the State Republican Central Committee for over 25 years. She was a member of the California Republican Party, the Riverside County Republican Party, the Palm Springs Republican Assembly, the Desert Republican Assembly and Rancho Mirage Republican Women’s Federated. In April 1983, the California Legislature recognized her with special honors and highest commendations.

Gretchen loved to entertain and was well known for her Pu Pu (Hawaiian hors d’oeuvre) parties. She also delighted in her collection of elephants – all shapes and varieties that she purchased and was given by friends over the years. One of her greatest passions was reading, and well into her nineties, she would quote from memory poems by Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe, as well as sing little ditties she remembered from her childhood.

Gretchen retired in 1984 at the age of 71 to marry longtime friend, Walter Franz of Palm Desert and Moses Lake. She and Walter took a year-long honeymoon to travel the world and spend time at their beloved home in Maui. During their years together, in addition to their Maui home, they built a home on Moses Lake where they enjoyed entertaining and continued their involvement in the Republican Party. Throughout their marriage, they traveled extensively and won numerous prizes for their ballroom dancing skills. After Walter’s passing in November 1998, Gretchen returned to California and lived for a number of years at the Fountains of Carlotta in Palm Desert. In 2008, she moved to University Village in Thousand Oaks to be near family.

Gretchen is survived by her daughter Adrianne (William) Knox of Lansing, Mich.; her son Ronald J. (Susan) Poulson of Thousand Oaks, Calif.; four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

At Gretchen’s request, there will be no service. Her ashes will be scattered near her Maui home. The family requests that memorials be sent to the Alzheimer Association, California Central Coast Chapter, 1339 Del Norte Road, Camarillo, CA 93010.