BOARDMAN - Frances L. Bilas, 91, formerly of Youngstown's south side, passed away peacefully Saturday, April 18, 2020, at her home at Shepherd of the Valley after a brief illness.

Frances was born Dec. 11, 1928, in Warren, and was a daughter of the late John and Dorothy Brzezinski. She was a graduate of Warren Harding High School and a lifelong area resident.

Frances worked at Packard Electric in Warren, at the YSU Bookstore, and at Higbee's Department Store in downtown Youngstown, but her "favorite job" was being a wife, mother, and grandmother who lovingly raised and cared for her family. She enjoyed cooking and baking, especially her famous pirohi and nut kolachi.

Mrs. Bilas was a member of St. Michael Orthodox Church in Youngstown.

Frances will always be affectionately remembered by her family as a straightshooter who always spoke her mind.

Her husband of 58 years, John Bilas Jr., whom she married Nov. 19, 1955, passed away July 11, 2014.

She leaves two sons, Dennis John (Karen) Bilas of Canfield and Lt. Col. John Eric (Kim) Bilas of the USMC, serving in Stuttgart, Germany; six grandchildren, Christine, Nicholas, Katelyn, William, Beau, and Christian: five great-grandchildren; and four sisters, Kathy, Josie, Harriet, and Mary Ann.

Besides her husband, several siblings are deceased.

Because of the virus pandemic, a private service will be held Thursday April 23, at Kinnick Funeral Home, 477 N. Meridian Road, followed by a private committal service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Boardman.

A public memorial service will take place at a later date.