She frequently sat behind the bench, vocal, loyal and proud.

No doubt about it, she was Auburn High School’s biggest boys basketball booster, a genuine supporter of the mighty green and gold.

She was part of its rich history, a strong court-side personality and passionate supporter who went along for the ride.

Frances Halter seldom missed a game – home or away – since she first stepped into the gymnasium in 1970, a time when Auburn was a one-high-school town that paused in great anticipation of the Trojans’ evening tipoff.

That devotion never wavered, even in her later years.

Confined to a wheelchair, she attended as many games as her deteriorating health would allow in the last 10 years. With the help of her family, she was determined to make every effort to be there, even appearing in last year’s state playoff opener at KeyArena.

Auburn basketball lost its biggest fan on Sept. 2. Better known as “Fran the Fan,” Halter passed away at Auburn Regional Medical Center from natural causes. She was 78.

She leaves behind two daughters, a son, seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and many players, coaches and friends.

The public is invited to share in her memory at a 4 p.m. service today at Price-Helton Funeral Home. Her burial will follow at Mount Tahoma National Cemetery. She will be laid to rest next to her husband, Douglas.

Circulating e-mail invitations will, no doubt, bring back plenty of alumni.

“I will miss her smile and humor,” said her daughter, Darla Pomber, who was close to her mother. “She was really a giving person, very encouraging. She was all about family.”

And her boys.

Halter was many things to many people associated with Auburn sports, especially when the subject was boys basketball. Loud and inspiring, she cheered on her boys. She never sat still, typically forcing her uncomfortable husband to move elsewhere in the gym to watch the action.

She often baked and delivered goods for the players as they headed out on road games. She took the entire team out for hamburgers and milk shakes to celebrate a player’s birthday. She gave them team T-shirts, encouraging notes, personalized trophies, even graduation gifts.

She also helped decorate their lockers and organized post-season banquets.

In a 1980s article in the Auburn Globe, reporter Dan Voelpel described Halter as a “dyed-in-the-wool” fan. She was a diehard, here to stay.

For their appreciation, the boys from a 1980s team bought her a letterman’s jacket.

“She just loved basketball. It was her team,” Pomber said. “She would start out every year by saying, ‘We’re going to take state. We’re going to be champs next year. I know we are.’ … “Unfortunately, they never did take state, but we did place. It didn’t matter if we had a winning season or not. She was there.”

And Fran’s lifelong support came without personal involvement. None of her children played for the Trojans.

“We will be missing an important fan,” said Bob Jones, the school’s athletic director. “She was always there behind the bench. That’s what I will remember.

“We have been fortunate to have had several of those lifelong fans at Auburn,” Jones said. “She was always there, just doing the little things for the kids. If you go back to the teams of the ’80s and ’90s, and if you say ‘Fran the Fan’ to others, everybody will know who she was. That’s a unique thing.”

Fran’s love of basketball goes way back. Her four brothers started on the same state high school championship team from the rural hamlet of Kremlin, Mont.

“Her brothers got her excited about the game,” Pomber said.

Away from the court, Fran was all about hard work, service and family. She was a waitress, a cook and restaurateur.

In her early years, she did missionary work and ran an orphanage in Alaska. In Auburn, she helped her other daughter, Dolonda, operate a daycare center.

She was a loving mom, grandmother and friend.

And a super fan whose spirit will remain with the Trojans of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

“Fran was terrific. She was the ultimate fan,” said Tim Cummings, a former longtime Auburn boys coach. “She went beyond the call of duty for players and fans.

“I would consider her as avid and as passionate a fan about Auburn athletics as avid fans are passionate about their Seahawks, Cougars or Huskies,” Cummings added.

In her absence, Pomber will carry on the tradition.

She hasn’t missed a game since 1970.

Mark Klaas can be reached at 253-833-0218, ext. 5050, or mklaas@reporternewspapers.com