Frances Irene (Bagge) Scolaro

On the first day of Spring, March 19, 2020, at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois, Frances Irene Scolaro made her peaceful transition from this life surrounded by two of her five loving children and a palpable world of admiration and gratitude pouring in from distant family and friends.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Henry and Frances Adeline Bagge on September 17, 1924, Frances Irene Bagge grew up in the turbulence of the Great Depression and World War II, and emerged as a smart, energetically creative young woman with a strong optimistic generosity and a no-nonsense appreciation of reality.

Frances met her future husband, fellow student Peter Scolaro, at the Pratt Institute of the arts following his service with the U.S. Army and his participation in the D Day invasion of Normandy. They both graduated from Pratt in July, 1948, and moved to Chicago where Peter was beginning his career in the advertising world. They were married in Chicago on June 18, 1949 at her parents’ house, and eventually settled into a home they built in 1964 in the Trout Valley community near Cary, IL, to raise their children.

Frances had a lifelong love of expressing herself and connecting with others through her innate artistic talents. She eagerly pursued every conceivable medium, from drawing and painting, to weaving, printing, copper enameling, ceramics, puppetry, gardening and fantastic cooking. When she wasn’t selling or giving her creations away she was showing others how to discover themselves in these creative pursuits, always encouraging everyone to never let perfection become the enemy of enjoyment.

Frances worked for twenty years as the art teacher at the Cary Country Pre-School, while Peter commuted to the city for his work as an advertising art director. In 1987 they retired to Long Lake, near New Auburn, Wisconsin, to enjoy fishing, boating, winter sports and pursue their artistic interests inspired by the area’s natural beauty. While living year round in their lakeside home, Frances spent many hours volunteering at Maplewood Nursing Home near Bloomer, WI, to share the joys of creating art with the residents.

In 2003 they returned to Cary, first to live in Fox Trails, and then to complete the circle when their daughter Laura Gerard and her husband Steve welcomed them back to Trout Valley to share their empty nester home.

Frances is preceded in death by her parents; her two brothers and their spouses, Louis and Lillian Bagge, and John and Velma Bagge; her sister and spouse, Gloria and Herb Schumm; grandson Lucas Binford; and son-in-law Mark Nyman.

Frances is survived by Peter, her devoted husband of seventy years; their children: daughter and son-in-law Diane and Mark Binford of Chatsworth, CA; daughter Jeanne Nyman of Cottage Grove, MN; son and daughter-in-law Mike and Peggy Scolaro of Bradenton, FL; daughter and son-in-law Virginia and Sam Waterstreet of Big Rock, IL; daughter and son-in-law Laura and Steve Gerard of Trout Valley, IL; and her loving grandchildren Sasha Binford, Charles Binford, Julie and husband Brian Papenhausen, Joni Thompson, Alison Brown, Vince Scolaro, Sheila Scolaro, Capt. Liz Stevens, Brittany Stevens, Patina and husband Patrick Hill, Eric Waterstreet, Peter and wife Kanako Gerard, Tessie and husband Chris Nagorny; and great grandchildren Sierra de Goldsmith and husband David Liljeros, Tom Binford, Finn Binford-Dinow, Ignatius, Aurelia, and Ophelia Hill, Toshi Gerard, David, Henry and Della Nagorny; and great great grandson Winston Lucas Marlon de Goldsmith Liljeros; brother-in-law Michael Scolaro, M.D. of Myrtle Beach, SC; sister-in-law Anne Scolaro of Surprise, AZ; and innumerable loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The love and devotion that Frances has given brightened the lives of everyone she touched. Always the keen observer of reality, she nevertheless encouraged those near and dear to appreciate the sunshine in the world and in ourselves. And, by setting the example through the way she lived her life, Frances shared her wisdom of avoiding the temptation to try to force reality to conform to unrealistic personal desires. When dealing with any of us, she did not tolerate foolish behavior, but preferred guiding us through friendly persuasion, and sharing her belief that waiting for recalcitrant people to be something that they aren’t is as futile as herding cats. Her absence from the temporal world will be a heavy burden, but her shining spirit will remain as a guide and comfort to us all.

A memorial celebrating the exemplary life that Frances has enjoyed will be held at a later date.

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