Francesca Spinelli

Francesca Spinelli, age 65, of McKinney, Texas, peacefully passed away on December 2, 2018 at The Pickens Center in Dallas after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer and metastatic brain cancer. She was born in Chicago, Illinois where she began her journey toward lifelong learning. After earning a BS from Northwestern University, an MA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, she made her way to Texas, where she lived in Houston, Temple and eventually called the Dallas-Fort Worth area home.

Francesca was a loving and caring spirit. She was involved with a number of philanthropic endeavors supporting women, children and the arts. She loved to travel and entertain and was a foodie at heart, always keeping her eye on the newest restaurants and latest dining trends. Francesca was health conscious and looked for the organic in everything. She and her husband Rick Hubbard were avid travelers, seeing the world through unique food and wine experiences.

Francesca was a highly successful human resource executive. As a member of the senior leadership teams at PetSmart, Inc. and RadioShack Corporation, she held the Chief Human Resource Officer role. At Walmart, she was Vice President of Organizational Development, and she worked in educational settings in her early career. Upon her retirement, Francesca was an adjunct professor in the MBA and Executive Education programs at SMU, an executive coach working with senior leaders in several industries, and past president of the International Coach Federation’s North Texas Chapter.  Francesca also served on the Board of Directors for Advance Auto Parts and Pariveda Solutions.

Francesca is survived by her husband Rick Hubbard; stepchildren Chris (Stephanie) and Suzanne Hearn (Erin); sister Trisha (Mark); brother Russ (Cindy); grandchildren CJ, Grace, Lyndsey and Chloe; nieces and nephews Michael, Tess, David and Gregory; and many extended relatives.  She is preceded in death by her parents Frank and Catherine.

A memorial service will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2700 W. Spring Creek Pkwy., Plano, Texas 75023 on Monday, December 10, 2018 at 11:00 am. Following the memorial, Francesca’s remains will be interred in the columbarium at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

In lieu of flowers, Francesca asked that you add beauty to your life, joining or contributing to an art museum or botanical garden or contributing to the Northwestern University Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at http://wewill.northwestern.edu/give to help give others the gift of education which was so important to her.