Therese Kral
1952-Dec. 24, 2008
Palo Alto, California

Jane Audrey Heckler, 84, a resident of Palo Alto, died Jan. 22. She was born in New Jersey. After

attending nursing school on the East Coast, she married C. Herbert Heckler Jr. and started a family. In

1958 they moved to Palo Alto, where they raised their three daughters. She devoted her life to raising

her children and helping to raise her grandchildren. Her greatest passion in life was being around young

people, helping them grow and develop into strong, loving and caring adults. She enjoyed ice skating,

skiing, sailing and swimming, and she had a love of reading and meeting new friends. She is survived by

her three daughters, Celeste Johnson and Faith Witte of Palo Alto; and Colette Bettencourt of Sunnyvale;

nine grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. Frances Therese Kral, 56, a resident of Palo Alto, died of cancer on Dec. 24.

She was born and raised in Chicago, Ill., where she attended Lourdes High School. She graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

She will be remembered by her family and friends as an open-minded, strong-willed and free-thinking woman who was a devoted mother and a strong believer in education. She volunteered at Nixon Elementary School, was an active member of the PTA and worked at the Palo Alto Unified School District office for a number of years.

She enjoyed sewing, racquetball, reading, writing, classical music, singing and theater.

She is survived by her sons, Richard and Timothy Sportsman; mother, Georgiana Kral; and brothers Victor, Lawrence and Leonard Kral.

Tags: teacher/educator