(Contributed photo)
CORRALITOS — Mary Francis was a teacher in three different counties who always tried to make science fun for her students.
She was known for her ability to come up with different projects for the students, whether it was tending the vegetable garden at Martin Murphy Middle School in San Jose, or organizing field trips centered around science.
But on Jan. 20, when the Monterey resident was driving to school on a rainy day, her vehicle lost control and slammed into a tree, barely minutes away from her home. Francis died at the scene.
Now, her boyfriend Mike Crawford is honoring her memory by organizing the Mary Francis Memorial Fund Music Festival, set for Aug. 5 at the Corralitos Community Center.
“We all loved Mary,” said Crawford, a resident of Corralitos. “We had our whole lives planned ahead of us.”
A seventh and eighth grade science teacher in schools in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties, Francis always struggled to find the funds to provide field trips for her students, Crawford said.
To keep her passion alive, Crawford and Francis’ two adult children decided to host the music festival as a way to raise funds that will benefit local middle school science departments.
This is not the first time Crawford has organized a music festival at the Corralitos Community Center. In August 2015, Crawford and Francis hosted “Mike and Mary’s Music Festival” “purely for fun,” he said. The free festival attracted about 300 people.
The two reserved the venue again with the intention to host a similar event in 2017. But after Francis’ death, her children and Crawford decided to shift the focus of the festival to a memorial fundraiser.
The Mary Francis Memorial Fund recently became a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Middle school science teachers are invited to request funding for upcoming field trips through the fund’s website at www.maryfrancismemorialfund.org.
“She was really, really loved and respected by the schools and her students,” Crawford said. “She just dedicated herself to the kids every day.”
In addition to being a science teacher, Francis was also an accomplished horse and dog trainer.
“Everything she touched, she never went half way,” Crawford said. “I miss her a lot.”
The Mary Francis Memorial Fund Music Festival will feature performances by The Billy Martini Show, Tsunami Band, Breeze Babes and Jenny Garcia.
Barbecue chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs and water will be provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own dish to share.
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The Mary Francis Memorial Fund Music Festival will take place at the Corralitos Community Center, 33 Browns Valley Road, on Aug. 5 beginning at noon. Admission is $25, and children 12 and under are free.
Tickets are available at maryfrancismemorialfund.org and at the door.
