Fran Houser, a former owner of the MidPoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, for over two decades who elevated the Route 66 restaurant to prominence, died on July 31 due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 81.
Joann Harwell, who baked the famous “ugly crust pies” for the restaurant for well over 15 years, said in a phone interview that Houser had been hospitalized at least twice in recent months with the disease but “had a really good week” just days before she died.
“She had kept that (illness) private,” Harwell said. “She didn’t want people to see how bad it was.”
Houser was cremated. Harwell said Houser’s daughter Jennifer will schedule a celebration of life at a later date.
Kelly Judd Snyder, co-owner of the Dream Maker Station in Adrian, announced Houser’s death on Thursday on social media. Dream Maker, housed in a former gas station next to the Midpoint, was Sunflower Station when Houser ran it for a few years after selling the restaurant.
“If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be here,” Snyder said in a phone interview. “She was iconic.”
The Midpoint Cafe, which is still operating, paid tribute to its former owner:
The restaurant, originally built along Route 66 in 1928, had several names before Houser acquired it and renamed it the MidPoint, paying tribute to the fact that the highway’s midpoint was in Adrian. She added a sign commemorating that fact, giving it more cachet with travelers.
The MidPoint quickly became known by Route 66 enthusiasts for its homespun food and Houser’s affability.
Harwell remembered a time when a bunch of people were stranded in the restaurant because a snowstorm had closed all the roads out of town.
“It was amazing what they did to help each other out,” she recalled. “”She made such good friends from that experience because they were all in it together.”
The MidPoint’s profile was elevated further when a crew from Pixar Animation Studios stopped there several times during its research of the forthcoming “Cars” movie in 2006. The film contained a character, Flo, who was directly inspired by Houser.
Harwell said the film’s director, John Lasseter, said the restaurant’s triple-berry cobbler reminded him of something his grandmother would have made.
“They treated us as if we were important, as icons,” Harrwell marveled.
Harwell said Houser was “classy” but strongly independent.
“She marched to her own drumbeat,” she said. “She never apologized for what she was, and I loved her for that.”
Harwell said she and Houser remained pals after the MidPoint sold in 2012.
“She was such a good friend,” she said. “She helped me through some personal troubles. I adored her. I think a lot of people did.”
(Image of Fran Houser courtesy of Guy Randall)