Photo No. 2488

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On Tuesday, October 6th, 2020, Frances Simek Engelbrecht, loving mother & grandmother, passed away at age 87.

Fran was born on April 17, 1933 in San Diego, California to Laura Simek and John Simek. She went to A&M Consolidated High School in Bryan/College Station. Fran married Henry "Hank" Engelbrecht in 1951. They settled in Beaumont, Texas and raised a daughter, Paige, and a son, Darrin. She was a longtime employee of Gulf States Utilities where she was an executive assistant and a member of the Reddy Rhythms, their vocal ensemble. Fran was an Aggie. Her father-in-law, Henry Engelbrecht, Sr., planted the trees that line the main entrance to the Texas A&M Campus. Her husband, brother, companion, and daughter are all Former Students. Her grandson and granddaughter-in-law will graduate and become Former Students in December. She loved Aggie football and got pretty loud when it came to game time. She loved her birds and squirrels, the color blue, the goat pasture in College Station, and if you have read this far, she likely loved you too. A cause near and dear to Fran was the EJ's Empty Stocking Fund/Christmas Bureau, where she donated years of her time, service, and heart.

Generous, selfless, formidable, fierce, and contagiously joyful, she had the will to fight for herself and what she believed in ingrained in her DNA. Her legacy will live on through the ways in which she consistently embodied these characteristics, sending ripples across posterity that will reach far beyond her impressive years of life.

She is preceded in death by her parents, John & Laura Simek, husband, Henry Engelbrecht, brother John Simek, sister-in-law Barbara Simek, sister-in-law Netta Simek, and brother-in-law Bill Reynolds. Fran is survived by her daughter, Paige Mann & her fiancé Christine, son, Darrin Engelbrecht & wife Kim, grandson Matthew Engelbrecht & wife Katie, granddaughters Sidney & Shelby Engelbrecht, nieces Vickie Stotts & Monique Stewart, nephews Dale Reynolds, JB Simek, and Mark Engelbrecht, sisters-in-law Joyce Reynolds and Camille Engelbrecht, brother-in-law Travis Engelbrecht, daughter-in-law Melanie Leonard, and her loving companion, Charlie Weinbaum.

Arrangements for Mrs. Engelbrecht are pending, under the direction of Broussard's, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. (409)832-1621

Memorial contributions may be made to EJ's Empty Stocking Fund c/o Beaumont Enterprise, P.O. Box 3017, Beaumont, Texas 77704-Please note EJ Donation on envelope when sending.