Frances Ann Duda, 87, of Arlington Heights, a retired registered nurse, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, in Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. Mrs. Duda studied nursing at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Hammond in the 1930s. After getting her registered nurse’s license, she returned to Calumet City. In the early 1940s, she worked as a nurse at Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Chicago, a maker of railroad passenger cars. There she met her late husband, Walter. They married in 1942 and settled in Park Ridge. Mrs. Duda worked as a nurse for Douglas Aircraft in Chicago until the end of World War II, when she stayed home to raise her family. A resident of Arlington Heights since 1953, Mrs. Duda became active in the Arlington Heights Nurses Club and served two years as treasurer during the 1950s. “She was an immensely capable lady,” said her son, Thomas. “I have never known her to put her hand on anything and not do it well,” he said, adding that his mother also was an exceptional gardener. Other survivors include a granddaughter and a great-grandson. Prayers will be said at 9:15 a.m. Friday in Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights. A mass will follow at 10 a.m. in St. James Church, 841 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights.
