"We are so sorry for your loss. We had the pleasure of meeting Florence once on one of our trips to Phoenix and she was a sweet, gentle lady. May you have many beautiful memories to carry with you."
In loving memory of
Florence Irene Dreckman
Florence passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sept. 22, 2016, 2 months before her 99th Birthday. She was born in New York Mills, Minnesota to William and Lydia Anderson on Nov. 11, 1917. Florence was always a good student, loved to read, and often read in the closet with a flashlight so her parents would not know she was still not in bed. In her eighth grade year, she won the State Spelling Bee, and would have gone on to the National Contest, but could not afford the trip. In 1941 Florence married Joseph R. Dreckman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After living in Oklahoma and Colorado, they moved to Phoenix in 1949 following their Doctor's advice to move to a warm, dry climate for Joseph's health. That proved to be a very good move, and he was very active until 1988 when he passed away of a heart attack. A quiet, gentle lady, Florence and her husband, Joseph raised their 6 children in Phoenix. The two were active volunteers in St. Francis Parish and School activities for many, many years. Florence served as Den Mother for her sons' Cub Scout troops, managed the snack bar for Little League games, helped as a cafeteria volunteer, as well as other school and extracurricular functions. Together, Florence and Joseph taught Religion classes at The Phoenix Indian School every Sunday evening for many years. After she retired from First Interstate Bank, Florence volunteered 1 day a week at the St. Francis Church gift shop - the Marian Shop. She was awarded the Ignatius plaque for her service there. A convert to the Church, Florence was a devout Catholic, a loving and dedicated wife, mother and grandmother; and a truly selfless woman who always put others before herself. She was never one to complain, or to say anything negative about others. She often said "if you can't say something good about another person, just don't say anything at all". She was definitely an amazing role model, and an inspiration to all who knew her. Florence is survived by her sister Elsie Anderson; her 4 daughters JoAnn Welsh (Pat), Jane Legg (Kedrick), Frances Dreckman and Elizabeth Dreckman; and 2 sons, Michael Dreckman (Linda) and Patrick Dreckman. Also she has 21 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; 7 great-great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great-great-grandchildren. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 9:30 AM on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, followed by the Funeral Mass at 10:00 AM at Brophy Chapel, 4701 N. Central, Phoenix, AZ 85012. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery, 2033 N. 48th Street, Phoenix 85008. Reception announcement will be made at the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at stvincentdepaul.net/give/donate. Visit hansenmortury.com for condolences.