Frances “Fran” Lee Mickel, the first director of the Carroll County Commission on Aging who became a continuing education specialist, died of Alzheimer’s disease complications Dec. 21 at Brightview at Westminster Ridge. The Westminster resident was 96.
“She was an artist who saw beauty in everything and a true friend who was genuinely interested in and cared about everyone. She was a believer in social justice,” said her daughter-in-law, Diane Stollenwerk.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, she was the daughter of Lucile Giffin, an Office of Economic Opportunity worker and Milford Giffin, who owned an oil rig parts and service business. She was a 1946 graduate of Wichita High School North.
In 1948 she married Howard “Mick” Mickel. Their family expanded over time to include six children, four adopted and two biological.
While raising her children, Ms. Mickel studied at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska.
“By 1969, she was a very busy single parent who earned a bachelor of education in fine arts from Wichita State University,” said her daughter and caregiver, Mari Selby. “It was her pursuit of education and a better life that led my mother to pack up all of her kids in a VW van to move east to Baltimore.”
They settled in Northwood in Northeast Baltimore. Ms. Mickel pursued her personal goals and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Social Work with a master’s degree in 1971.
She became the first director of the Carroll County Commission on Aging, where she developed the county’s Meals on Wheels program and senior centers.
In 1974 she became the director of community services at what was then Catonsville Community College. She was among the first staff recruited to build a program that assisted persons with disabilities. She worked with senior citizens and created summertime camp programs for children, among her other duties.
“Fran was one of the steadiest human beings I’ve ever met. She was positive, kind and insightful. She [was] also artistic and creative,” said P. Michael Carey, retired executive dean for continuing education at the Community College of Baltimore County. “She was respected among the community colleges as one of the most knowledgeable and forward thinking professionals.”
She also established a continuing education program at Carroll County Community College, where she worked on loan from the Baltimore County program. She created exercise, art, cultural and current events programs.
“She was instrumental in getting community services started at Carroll,” said Carol Kolb, retired Carroll County Community College department chair for health and exercise science. “There was never a dull moment when you were with her. She had an open mind and was accepting and welcoming. She was right there for people.”
“She was tenacious, thoughtful, and persuasive when it came to raising her large family while improving her community,” said her son, Evan Mickel.
Former Maryland House of Delegates member Anne Scarlett Perkins said, “Fran was an activist parent and became really upset at the lack of education programs in the Western Maryland Juvenile Services residential program.”
Ms. Perkins also said, “Fran combined being a strong person with being a wonderful, kind mother.”
Ms. Mickel accompanied a group of Baltimore City College, Polytechnic Institute and Western High School students on a trip to China as part of the first Baltimore-Xiamen Summer Language Camp in the 1980s.
“Her humor, teaching skills, and parenting expertise were invaluable in helping all of the kids have an experience of a lifetime,” said Ms. Perkins.
She was also a political campaign worker in North and Northeast Baltimore.
“Fran used her energy, tenacity, and ability to connect with all kinds of people while going door-to-door,” said her daughter, former Maryland Delegate Maggie McIntosh. “She was straightforward and charming, and never forgot to ask, “Will you put my daughter’s sign in your yard?”
She remained active in retirement.
A 2006 Baltimore Sun story noted her ability to produce homemade Christmas ornaments. “I never know what I’m going to do when I get started on an ornament,” Ms. Mickel said. “Sometimes I change my course half-way through.”
That year she made nearly 1,000 beaded ornaments that she used to decorate the Christmas tree that she showcased at the Carroll County Arts Council in Westminster.
Ms. Mickel also made tie-dye T-shirts, bookmarks, jewelry, knitted hats. She painted watercolors and enjoyed golfing, hiking, traveling and working at her church.
She was a member of the Carroll County Arts Council, the Carroll County Mental Health Association, the Oakland United Methodist Church and the Mountain Club of Maryland.
Survivors include two daughters, Mari Selby of Westminster and Maggie McIntosh of Baltimore; two sons, Eric Mickel of Westminster and Evan Mickel of Lanham; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A son, Ellery Mickel, died in 2008. A daughter, Amy Mickel, died in 2012.
Services are private.