Frances Wang Gershon Obituary (2007)

Frances Wang Gershon died at St. Joseph Medical Center on August 28, 2007 after a long and heroic battle with Leukemia. She was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of the late Philip and Sarah Wang. The family moved to Chicago shortly thereafter and then permanently settled in Kansas City in 1931 where Mr. Wang founded the Alaskan Fur company. Mrs. Gershon was President and Valedictorian of her graduation class at Benton School. She graduated from Southwest High School where she was a member of the Quill and Scroll, the National Honor Society and was assistant news editor of the Southwest Trail. She received her B.S. degree with High Honors from the University of Illinois where she was a member of the Honor society in Chemistry and the Honor Society in Human Resources. She was Vice President of Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority. In 1994, The University awarded her the Alumnus of Merit Award. She taught school for seven years at the Kansas City Co-Operative Pre School and was a Sunday School teacher at Beth Shalom Synagogue for five years. She combined her training in early childhood education with her experience in business, learned at her father’s store, to co-found with her first husband, U.S. Toy Company/Constructive Playthings. In 1983, she assumed complete ownership of the company, whose corporate office and warehouse is in Grandview, MO. The company operates stores in 8 states but is foremost in the distribution of mailorder catalogs for high quality toys, pre-school equipment and supplies as well as catalogs for party supplies and novelty toys. It even has a catalog for tricks and illusions for Magicians. In 1990, Mrs. Gershon was named a Woman of Distinction, by the National United Jewish Appeal. That was a group of outstanding career women who are leaders in their chosen profession. The Greater Kansas City Association for the Education of Young Children as well as the Missouri and the Kansas Department of Education has given her their Lifetime Civic Service Awards for what she has accomplished to further quality education for young children. Among the services she has provided are free teacher workshops throughout the year in her stores and for the quality of the equipment, teaching aids and playthings she offers for pre-schools. She has also established a Textbook Scholarship Fund at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, for students in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Gershon served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Kansas City and on the Board of the Child World School. She was a Life member of the National Council of Jewish Women (with whom she also established a Scholarship Fund) and of Hadassah. She was a member of the Circle of Friends of the Shalom Geriatric Center, the Menorah Hospital Auxiliary and of Brandeis University. She had been a member of Altrusa International (a professsional women’s service organization), since 1967. She was also a member of the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City and in 1996 was featured in its “Celebration of Women” book. In June of 1999, Mrs. Gershon was elected Master Entrepreneur of the Year for Western Missouri and the State of Kansas at a banquet attended by 650 people at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. She was chosen by the judges over 49 finalists. She was sent to a national conference in Palm Springs, CA where she was named a National Entrepreneur of the Year. Mrs. Gershon was a member of Congregation B’nai Jehudah, Beth Shalom Congregation and Kehilath Israel Congregation. She is survived by her husband, Jerald Gershon; her sons, Michael Klein and Philip Klein; her daughter and son-in-law, Bari Freiden and Dr. Floyd Freiden and her grandchildren, Seth and Robyn Freiden, Jonathan Freiden and Rebecca Dragon-Freiden and great granddaughter Alexandra Freiden. She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Myron and Nicole Wang; a sister and brother-in-law, Pauline and Murray Hendel and many loving nieces and nephews. She also leaves a cousin, Burton Kaplan of Denver, CO and Bryon Wayne of Los Angeles, CA. She was preceded in death by her sister, Edna Finkel. She will also be fondly remembered by her step-children Susan and Steven Osman, Steven and Janet Gershon of Shawnee Mission, KS and Capt. Sharon Gershon of Rockville, MD and step-grandchildren Lindsay Gerson, Robert Gershon, Timothy Gershon, Misha Gershon, Daniel Osman, Lauren Osman, Deb Feder and Andrew Osman and step-great-granddaughter Isabella Osman. She will be greatly missed by her hundreds of employees who looked to her for her leadership and her wisdom. Her young female employees called her their “Role Model”. She will also be missed by numerous friends of long standing and business acquaintances who remember her as a pioneer in the toy industry. Funeral services will be 10:30am Thursday, August 30 at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, 12320 Nall, Overland Park, KS. Burial at Rose Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Research in Leukemia, in care of Dr. Michael J. Keating, Professor of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, to the Scholarship Fund at Village Shalom or to the charity of your choice.