Frances Ruley Karttunen (Fran) grew up on Nantucket and graduated from Nantucket Public School. She is an American academic linguist, historian, and author. She joins co-host interviewer Stephanie Serra to tell her story about Our Island Home and provide valuable insights.

When Fran entered her teens, her mother became disabled by multiple sclerosis, and Fran was her mother's primary caregiver. When she left for college, her mother became a resident of Our Island Home. After an academic career, Fran returned full-time to Nantucket with her husband, Alfred Crosby, in 1999. A year later, Al was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.