Florane Alma Albertson

Florane Alma Albertson (Coons), 77

Florane Alma Albertson, 77, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of September 8, surrounded by family.

Flo – as her friends and family liked to call her – graduated from Manual High School in Peoria, IL, in 1961. At 5’8”, she was far and away the tallest girl in her graduating class. While attending Manual High School, Flo worked as a waitress at Steak ‘n Shake, and helped out with her family’s auto parts business.

She married David Albertson in 1961, after he joined the Air Force. Their first child, David, Jr., was born in 1963, and survived only 18 days after he was born. In 1964, Dave and Flo were stationed at an Air Radar Station in Bellefontaine, OH, where their first surviving son, Douglas, was born. Soon after, they were transferred to Karamursel Air Force Base in Karamursel, Turkey. Flo was very proud of the fact that she had learned to speak some Turkish while living at Karamursel.

In 1967, they were transferred to Kelly Field in San Antonio, TX, where Scott, the second surviving son, was born. A fourth child, born in Montgomery, Alabama while stationed at Gunter AFS, was stillborn.

Florane learned to become a computer programmer and a systems analyst, and began working for the federal government. She had a long, accomplished 30-plus year career in the federal government, winning many awards for quality and service. She was the person other programmers came to with the problems they could not solve. She retired in 2004.

Stops in the military included Warner Robins AFB in Georgia, Gunter/Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Alabama, The Pentagon, Kelly Field in San Antonio, and Bellefontaine Radar Station in Bellefontaine, OH.

In 1979, after David retired from the Air Force, the family moved, briefly, to Kansas City, KS, and then to Lake Oswego, OR. In 1987, after both sons had graduated from high school, Dave and Florane moved to Indianapolis to be closer to both of their families.

Flo doted on her children and grandchildren – boring to tears just about anybody who would listen as she regaled them with their “superhuman” accomplishments – all while minimizing her own genuine superhuman accomplishments. Flo somehow managed to earn three college degrees, all while working at a full-time job and raising a family. She had an amazing ability to sit in a room and read a textbook while watching a movie and listening to the conversations going on around her – and she could tell you what was going on with each one.

Flo loved her life. She loved her family, her voluminous friends, her quilting and crocheting partners, her workmates, and she loved her pets. She also endeavored to help anyone she could possibly help.

She spent years poring over county records and library books as she compiled a comprehensive genealogical history of her family. She even became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution after discovering that one of her ancestors had fought and died in the American Revolutionary War.

She was also known for her encyclopedic memory of the dates and times of birthdays, anniversaries, immunization records, Pee Wee football games, Babe Ruth baseball playoff games, bowling tournaments and just about every family life event, no matter how small. They all meant something to her.

In life, she endeavored to help make the lives of the people around her better any way she possibly could. In death, Florane Alma Albertson leaves behind a legacy of kindness, humanity, generosity, and compassion.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, David; two sons, Doug and Scott; two grandchildren, Griffin, and Kyla; four sisters, Sandra Hulick, Brenda Camper, Paula Coons, and Pamela Coons, one brother Michael and many nieces, nephews, uncles and aunts. She was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Coons, her father, Harry Coons, brothers Harry, Jr., and Howard, and two infant children, David Jr. and Craig.

The family asks that any donations be made to the International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society, The American Cancer Society (Flo’s mother passed away from cancer), and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Indianapolis.

https://autoimmune-encephalitis.org/donate/

https://www.cancer.org/

https://www.stjude.org/

A livestream of her service Monday, September 14 at 7 PM may be viewed on this link:  https://youtu.be/djc9peFaIoU