Obituary: Frances Wilson

Frances Wilson.

Family and friends of an "extremely talented and passionate" Rotorua woman are mourning her passing.

Frances Wilson died on Boxing Day after bravely fighting cancer for 15 years.

The 56-year-old was farewelled recently at a service at St Mary's Catholic Church where tribute was paid to her many accomplishments, her passion for work and life, and her generous spirit.

She was born in Berlin, Germany, to British parents Patricia and John Bragoli and was the second of seven children. Her family returned to England in 1960.

While training at Middlesex Hospital in London, she met her husband Graham, an aspiring football player from New Zealand. The couple married in 1981 and moved to Rotorua the following year when Mrs Wilson started working at the Rotorua Hospital, becoming the charge physiotherapist in 1985.

Rotorua resident Sonya Hunt said there were many things she missed about her friend she had known for more than 25 years.

"I miss her laughter, her passion - she fought so hard for life and the chance to keep living.

"She was always an advocate and always fought strongest for anyone else. She would tackle and challenge anything to ensure systems were fairer and just," Ms Hunt said.

In 1991, Mrs Wilson was appointed to the New Zealand Physiotherapy Board, and in 1999 elected as the first practising physiotherapist to serve as its chairwoman.

In 2005 the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists made her a life member, its highest honour.

"She was an extremely talented woman professionally and really gifted in a lot of ways," Ms Hunt said. "She had a phenomenal memory and had memorised poems and ditties from her childhood that she could still recite. She was very funny in the poems she wrote as well."

Ms Hunt said her friend was always fit and active.

"She danced any kind of dance - tap, jazz, ballroom - and mountain biked before mountain biking became a thing."

Mrs Wilson is survived by her husband, Graham, her sisters and brothers, and the Bragoli and Wilson families. Hanno Fairburn and Dana Kinita