Francine Marie Spacek Merlock was born on February 1, 1961 in Houston, Texas to Joe and Joyce Spacek.  Francine was the youngest of three sisters.  From the time she was little, Francine had a love for all animals, but especially dogs.  She had such a special connection with any dog she ever met.  Her first was a little Dachshund who she named Thumper after the beloved rabbit in Disney's Bambi.  Thumper would be the first of many dogs who would know Francine's love and care.

After graduating from Tomball High School, Francine began working in the secretarial field and spent several years with Amoco Corporation.  On April 24, 1987, Francine married the love of her life, Patrick Merlock of The Woodlands, Texas.  They made their home in the Houston area where they spent over 30 happy and joyous years of marriage.  They loved each other unconditionally and modeled for many friends and family what the bond of marriage really means.

Francine left us in the early evening hours of Tuesday, May 21, 2019.  Her last moments were spent with her loving husband and her loyal pups.  She is preceded in death by her oldest sister, Raschel Spacek Brown and Baby Lee, and her parents, Joe and Joyce Spacek.  She is survived by her husband, Patrick, her sister, Jan, and all of her loving nieces, nephews.  Francine has a heart that was bigger than the moon, and her love will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, Francine greatly wished for donations to be made in her memory to the Houston SPCA. https://www.houstonhumane.org/(Give)/giving/general-donation