Frans J. Schwab

Heaven gained an angel. Frans J. Schwab passed away on November 10, 2020 in Sarasota, Florida with family at his side. Frans was born in 1927 in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Java, Indonesia). He was the second son of Cecilia and Louis Schwab. Frans' carefree adolescent years were affected with the onset of WWII, as he lived with his mom and younger sister Loulou in their house but within vigilance of the antagonists. His father was sent to a POW camp in Japan and his older brother was sent to prison camp approximately 20 miles west of their house in Bandoeng, Indonesia. Frans, his sister, and mother had absolutely no contact with his father and brother for 3 years and didn't know if they were well. After WWII, and being happily reunited with his brother, the family got word that his father was liberated from camp and was in Borneo. Frans, along with his siblings and mother, were evacuated from the mountainous city of Bandoeng by airplane to Jakarta then by boat to Samarinda, Borneo to be reunited with his father. Frans and his siblings had to attend school but there was no school on Borneo. Frans and his siblings lived with a family friend's relative in Makassar, Celebes Island where they attended the Hogere Burger School ""HBS"" for a couple of years while his parents continued to live in Samarinda, Borneo. In 1948, Frans and his family emigrated to The Netherlands; a three week journey on the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt ship before arriving in Rotterdam. Frans continued his highschool education in ""HBS"" in Amersfoort and later served 2 years in the Royal Dutch Airforce. Frans was very interested in chemistry. He worked for Philips Roxane Laboratory eventually becoming a chemist. In The Netherlands,Frans enjoyed sports; running, tennis, badminton. He enjoyed being around the home and spending time with his parents, siblings and friends. Frans' Dutch friend, who worked for Chevron Chemical Company in San Pablo, California informed him of a job opening at Chevron in the USA. Frans applied and was accepted for the position which led him to immigrate to the United States of America in 1960. Frans lived for a short time with his older brother, who had immigrated to the USA in 1957, in Denver, Colorado. Frans moved to San Pablo, California and worked for Chevron Chemical Company in the research and development of Ortho gardening chemicals for 26 years. Frans married Alma in 1968. They enjoyed hosting many family and friends get-togethers at their home; always with a yummy Dutch/Indonesian rice table ""Rijsttafel"". They enjoyed showing family and friends the tourist attractions of San Francisco. Frans and Alma enjoyed vacationing in Colorado visiting his brother and family. He especially liked visiting the mountains. Frans could always be seen with a camera in his hands, capturing the beautiful landscapes through the lens and candid shots of family and friends. They also vacationed to Holland to visit family. He was widowed in 1988. Frans enjoyed gardening; especially flowers and potted plants. Being a chemist, he always had his ""magic fertilizer/plant food potion"" mixed up and ready for use. He took up running in 1978. He participated in 5K and 10K races. During the 11 years of running, he won several ribbons and medals. One of his favorite runs was over the Golden Gate Bridge. Frans continued his hobby of photography taking an interest in shooting portraits and developing film in his home darkroom. Genealogy was of interest to him. Frans knew so many details of the family's history of which he kept quite an account of, especially labeling old photographs and drawing out family trees. Frans was quite the connoisseur of coffee and always offered family and friends a cup. He also loved dark chocolate and always had some on hand in the cupboard. In 2001 Frans moved to Venice, Florida to be closer to his brother Ger, cousin Cor and his long time friend from Indonesia, Loes. Frans dedicated his later years in companionship and caring for his friend Loes. ""Oom"" Frans was dearly loved by family and friends and acquaintances. He was petite in stature but a gentle, generous, giant full of love and care for all. Frans' generosity extended into the community making regular donations to Cancer Research, the American Heart Association and the National Parks. Surviving family of Frans are brother Gerhard Schwab ""Ger"" in Venice, Florida, nephew Earl Schwab, niece Ingrid King (Schwab), nephew Chris LeFebre and cousin Cor deBlij; in Sarasota, Florida. A small memorial was held in the home of Frans' dear friend Loes Hoeke in Nokomis, Florida on Saturday, November 14, 2020 with family. Frans' wishes were honored. His cremains were spread out in the sea for one day to return to the land of his birth. His name is inscribed on a cenotaph in Venice Memorial Gardens, Venice, Florida.