Frances E. (Bettin) Sain

The rosary and words of remembrance will be live-streamed using the following link:  https://youtu.be/M-WABPgTHUQ

The funeral will be live-streamed on Christ the King's YouTube page:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqv918ak5sglBo-JlVUbBQ

Frances E. Sain, 83, of South Bend, IN, passed away at 3:19 p.m. Monday, May 31, 2021, at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, IN.  

She was born on January 21, 1938, to the late Maurice and Margaret (Somers) Bettin in Calgary, Alberta (AB), Canada and lived in South Bend, IN, since 1965.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Michael Kent Sain, and a brother, Rudy Bettin of Kimberley, British Columbia (BC), Canada. 

On August 24, 1963, as Frances E. Bettin, she married Michael Kent Sain at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Creston, BC.  He passed away on September 22, 2009. 

Frances is survived by her sons Patrick Sain of Torrance, CA, and John (Alicia) Sain of Livermore, CA; daughters Mary Sain of Chicago, IL, Barbara Sain of St. Paul, MN, and Elizabeth Sain of South Bend, IN; grandchildren Amira Sain and Joseph Sain, both of Livermore, CA; sisters, Eloise Jarvis of Calgary, AB, Judy (Don) Barker of Vancouver, BC; and two brothers, Kenneth Bettin of Cranbrook, BC, and Rev. Martin “Jack” Bettin, O.F.M., of Vancouver, BC.

Frances graduated from Creston High School in 1953, was active in figure skating and cheerleading, and was the 1953 Creston Blossom Festival Queen.  She went to Holy Cross College in BC, graduated in 1959 from the Holy Cross Hospital School of Nursing in Calgary, AB, with her class’ General Proficiency Award, and then obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO.  She was engaged to her husband of 46 years, Michael “Mike” Sain, on Christmas Eve, 1962, and they were married in Creston the following year.  In 1965, they moved to South Bend, IN.

Her cooking enjoyed a quiet fame, and evening meals were enjoyed by the entire family.  She hand-decorated birthday cakes with special themes, and hosted many dinners for her children’s friends at holidays and students and colleagues of her husband’s from the University of Notre Dame.  Frances enjoyed growing flowers, and her cooking often featured vegetables from her large backyard garden and fruit she had picked from local farms.  

Frances was exceptionally active and enjoyed sports. She attended and followed Notre Dame football, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, and hockey games.  She continued to ice skate, and she went skating on her 80th birthday.  Frances encouraged her children to be active as well, and she supported their participation in sports, music, art, reading, 4-H, travel, and extracurricular activities at school. 

She was compassionate and known for enjoying good conversations and being a good listener.  Many of her friends and family took comfort in being able to call and talk with her, in happy times and sad.

Her lifelong spiritual devotion to Our Lady was shared with her husband, Michael, and their children.  She made four pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a place of special Marian devotion.  She was active with Queen of Peace Ministries, helping to coordinate their annual Medjugorje Conference for over 20 years.

Frances was a member of Christ the King Parish and attended Mass daily.  She and her husband Michael (until 2009) started and then led the weekly Respect for All Life Rosary at Christ the King parish for over 30 years, and they helped lead the parish Pre-Cana marriage preparation program for many years.  She was a Sacristan, a Eucharistic Minister, and she took the Eucharist to the homebound.  Frances belonged to the Seven Sisters Apostolate, an organization that prays for parish priests, and coordinated that ministry for the priests at Christ the King parish.  She also participated in the prayer line, which organizes and provides prayers for members of the parish. She cooked lunches for funerals and parish schoolchildren, and casseroles for the Center for the Homeless.

She also helped start and support the weekly Rosary Cenacle at St. Pius Parish, Granger, IN, for nearly 30 years.  She collected donations of books, diapers, and clothing for the Women’s Care Center, and she sewed gowns for newborns who passed away. 

Charitable donations may be sent to the Missionaries of Charity (email to motherhouse@missionariesofcharity.org) or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (https://stjude.org).

A visitation will be held from 3–8 pm on Friday, June 11, 2021 at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Dr., South Bend, IN.  A rosary will be prayed at 7:00 p.m. Friday, followed by words of personal remembrance which will be livestreamed using the following link: https://youtu.be/M-WABPgTHUQ . The family requests that masks be worn.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Christ the King Catholic Church, South Bend, IN.  Burial will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Notre Dame, IN. The funeral will be live-streamed on Christ the King's YouTube page:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqv918ak5sglBo-JlVUbBQ

To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com. 

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