She married an electrical engineer who, after World War II, struggled to find any sort of work, prompting Frances to start her own building repairs business that successfully ran for 35 years. Her husband was embarassed by her success, and didn't want his name associated with hers, so she changed her surname to Gabe. She and her husband, perhaps unsurprisingly, seperated some time later. Gabe had a family and a business to run, and soon found it was a massive task to keep her house neat and tidy. She hated housework, and decided to do something pro-active to solve her problem.
House work is a thankless, unending job, a nerve-tangling bore.
Gabes' idea was to invent a house that cleaned itself, and what she came up with what is probably best described as the eighth wonder of the world. A press of a button sprays jets of soapy water over the entire room, another button sprays clean water to rinse out the soap, and a third starts a giant fan that thoroughly dries the area. The walls, ceilings and floors are all covered with a water-proof resin, as is the furniture. Valuables and vulnerable items are kept under glass, and of course there are no dust-collecting carpets. The kitchen cabinets double as a dishwasher - you simply place the dishes in the cupboard, close the door, and hit a button.