Obituary of Frances E. Magnus

Frances Ella Magnus, beloved mother and grandmother, died peacefully at 3:15 a.m. on August 17, 2023 at the Vincent Bove Health Center located in Jefferson’s Ferry, South Setauket, New York. She was 93 years old.

The daughter of Frank and Frances Van Etten, Frances Ella was born on September 29, 1929 in Bronx, New York.

She pursued her passion for classical ballet at the School of American Ballet, training with Anatole Oboukhoff, Yurek Lazowski, Muriel Stuart, and Pierre Vladimiroff. In 1951 under the artistic direction of George Balanchine, Frances made her professional debut along with members of the New York City Ballet company at Carnegie Hall. Her dance career was abruptly ended when she was injured by a taxicab in midtown Manhattan. No longer able to meet the physical demands of classical ballet, she went on to have a career in the fashion industry modeling for advertisements that appeared in the New York Times and other publications.

In 1953 Frances met her future husband, 1st Lieutenant Daniel Magnus, at the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan during a social event organized for army officers on leave during the Korean War. They kept in touch after Daniel returned to Germany where he was stationed. On December 11, 1954, Frances and Daniel were married in West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool, England. During the first year
of their marriage they lived in Bad Kreuznach Germany, which afforded them the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. When Daniel was discharged from the military they returned to the United States, briefly living in Marblehead, Massachusetts and eventually settling in Huntington, New York.

After raising three children and the untimely death in 1987 of her husband, Daniel, Frances went on to study interior design at Parsons School of Design and The New School. In 1990 she completed her studies and received the degree of Associate in Applied Science with honors.

Frances is survived by her daughter Susan Magnus and son-in-law Scott Newkirk of Beacon; her son Steven Magnus and daughter-in-law Jennifer of Northport; her son Daniel Magnus and daughter-in-law Jamie of Greenlawn. She was the loving grandmother of William, James, Emma, and Allison.

A wake will be held on Friday, August 25, from 2-5:00 p.m. and 7-9:00 p.m. at the Nolan Funeral Home, 5 Laurel Avenue, Northport, NY 11768.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 26, 10 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1670 NY-25A, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724; burial at Huntington Rural Cemetery, 555 New York Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743.

Charitable contributions may be made to the Jefferson’s Ferry Foundation in memory of Frances Magnus and in honor of the clinical staff in Memory Care. For more information contact: E:sloucks@jeffersonsferry.org/T:631-675-5507