Fran Draper makes braided Italian Easter bread at her home in Butler on Friday, March 26, 2010. Butler Eagle File Photo

Fran Draper’s recipe for Italian Easter bread had been passed down through the generations and served as an important family tradition.

Draper, who was 76 in 2010, still used the exact recipe her mother did.

“I think it’s about ready,” Draper said at her home on March 26, 2010, checking to see how much her dough had risen.

Pulling handfuls of dough from the floury mass, she reminisced about her family's Easter traditions. Draper rolled the dough into three chubby coils and rapidly braided the strands together to form a thick, textured loaf.

“Growing up in an Italian family, this is what my mother would do,” said Draper, whose parents emigrated from Italy. “And it passed on to me.”