Obituaries
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Obituary for Frances Taylor
Frances Taylor, 95, of Milford, CT formerly of Stratford, died peacefully at Carriage Green Assisted Living Facility July 13, 2016. Born August 18, 1920, she was predeceased by her parents, John and Mary (Kindel) Grich, husband Augustus J. Pace, daughter Deborah J. Pace, brothers and sisters-in-law, Joseph (Marge) Grich, John (Helen) Grich, William (Tressie) Grich, and Edward (Evelyn) Grich, husband Charles F. Taylor, and son-in-law Arthur Dritenbas. She is survived by her daughters Janice Pace, Claudia Stewart and her husband Mark, Susan Kelly and her husband Tim, grandchildren Michelle Mastroianni, Jennifer Lyons and her husband Mike, Victoria Zapatka, Daniel Zapatka and his wife Amanda, Monica Lundberg and her husband Kevin, Bridget Masley and her husband Craig, and Loretta Kelly, six great grandchildren, one great great grandchild, nieces and nephews and many other extended family.
In 1920 Frances was born to Mary and John Grich, both of whom had immigrated to America from Czechoslovakia. Raised in Devon, CT where her father had a general store, Frances enjoyed being an only daughter with two older brothers and 2 younger brothers. She attended Milford public schools and in 1942 married Augustus Pace from the Walnut Beach area of Milford who was a local builder and moved into a house he built for them in Stratford. Over the years, Frances had a diverse employment history and worked as a dental hygienist, a secretary at General Electric in Bridgeport, and most notably, trying their hands as entrepreneurs, she and Dad owned and operated a successful health club in Westport, and enjoyed the company of patrons such as Paul Newman and Meadowlark Lemon. In her later years as a widow, she was employed by Read's in Bridgeport and then Jacopian Cleaners in Stratford. Always enjoying the social arena, Mom easily made friends and was confidante to both young and old. Giving freely of herself wherever life took her, she found much joy in being a wife to her devoted husband, and the loving mother to four daughters. At the center of her home, she was a wonderful homemaker and cook and a great hostess of holidays and family picnics. She nurtured a special relationship with each of her seven grandchildren and made sure they knew how much she loved and cared about them, and they dearly loved her in return.
A heartache of her life was the early death in 1983 of her husband. Then as a widow for the next 20 years, she did date and remain active and involved and even took sailing lessons in her 70's, but it wasn't until her 80's that she met the second love of her life, Charles Taylor, and in November of 2003, they were married. She and Charles spent 6 years together as best friends and husband and wife and he supported her through the death of her daughter Debbie before he passed away in September 2009. Returning to her Milford roots, Mom became a resident at Carriage Green Assisted Living Facility. There she loved to play Bingo and Pokeno, never missed happy hour and sing-a-longs, and was the reigning champion at Wii bowling---once getting 8 strikes in a row in spite of her failing eyesight. She would also, from childhood memory, occasionally serenade the residents by sitting at the piano and playing her signature song, "The Black Hawk Waltz." Walking the halls of Carriage Green, everyone knew her by name and we would always hear how beloved she was to everyone as resident and staff alike would say, "Oh, I just love your mother." Mom, in turn, continued to love the people around her, and also never lost her delightful sense of humor and understanding of jokes, and wanted to be remembered as someone who could make you laugh. All those who knew her would have to agree that another one of her outstanding qualities was her frank honesty and ability to speak her mind. You always knew where you stood and she was a pleasure to be with. As her family, we have treasured her wisdom as a woman and as our mother. While we know she could spell any word we gave her, had an impressive command of the English language, was ahead of her time with her knowledge of health and nutrition, and could easily elicit a chuckle from us while informing us that at 95 she still had all her teeth, the essence of Mom and Grandma is that through her life example, she modeled for us the importance of love. She will be profoundly missed.
Friends are invited to a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. in St. James Church, 2070 Main St., Stratford, CT. Interment will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Milford, CT. Visitation with the family will be Tuesday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Frances' memory may be made to http://www.preventblindness.org. For additional information or to share a message of condolence, visit www.wrmcdonaldfuneralhome.com.
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In 1920 Frances was born to Mary and John Grich, both of whom had immigrated to America from Czechoslovakia. Raised in Devon, CT where her father had a general store, Frances enjoyed being an only daughter with two older brothers and 2 younger brothers. She attended Milford public schools and in 1942 married Augustus Pace from the Walnut Beach area of Milford who was a local builder and moved into a house he built for them in Stratford. Over the years, Frances had a diverse employment history and worked as a dental hygienist, a secretary at General Electric in Bridgeport, and most notably, trying their hands as entrepreneurs, she and Dad owned and operated a successful health club in Westport, and enjoyed the company of patrons such as Paul Newman and Meadowlark Lemon. In her later years as a widow, she was employed by Read's in Bridgeport and then Jacopian Cleaners in Stratford. Always enjoying the social arena, Mom easily made friends and was confidante to both young and old. Giving freely of herself wherever life took her, she found much joy in being a wife to her devoted husband, and the loving mother to four daughters. At the center of her home, she was a wonderful homemaker and cook and a great hostess of holidays and family picnics. She nurtured a special relationship with each of her seven grandchildren and made sure they knew how much she loved and cared about them, and they dearly loved her in return.
A heartache of her life was the early death in 1983 of her husband. Then as a widow for the next 20 years, she did date and remain active and involved and even took sailing lessons in her 70's, but it wasn't until her 80's that she met the second love of her life, Charles Taylor, and in November of 2003, they were married. She and Charles spent 6 years together as best friends and husband and wife and he supported her through the death of her daughter Debbie before he passed away in September 2009. Returning to her Milford roots, Mom became a resident at Carriage Green Assisted Living Facility. There she loved to play Bingo and Pokeno, never missed happy hour and sing-a-longs, and was the reigning champion at Wii bowling---once getting 8 strikes in a row in spite of her failing eyesight. She would also, from childhood memory, occasionally serenade the residents by sitting at the piano and playing her signature song, "The Black Hawk Waltz." Walking the halls of Carriage Green, everyone knew her by name and we would always hear how beloved she was to everyone as resident and staff alike would say, "Oh, I just love your mother." Mom, in turn, continued to love the people around her, and also never lost her delightful sense of humor and understanding of jokes, and wanted to be remembered as someone who could make you laugh. All those who knew her would have to agree that another one of her outstanding qualities was her frank honesty and ability to speak her mind. You always knew where you stood and she was a pleasure to be with. As her family, we have treasured her wisdom as a woman and as our mother. While we know she could spell any word we gave her, had an impressive command of the English language, was ahead of her time with her knowledge of health and nutrition, and could easily elicit a chuckle from us while informing us that at 95 she still had all her teeth, the essence of Mom and Grandma is that through her life example, she modeled for us the importance of love. She will be profoundly missed.
Friends are invited to a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. in St. James Church, 2070 Main St., Stratford, CT. Interment will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Milford, CT. Visitation with the family will be Tuesday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Frances' memory may be made to http://www.preventblindness.org. For additional information or to share a message of condolence, visit www.wrmcdonaldfuneralhome.com.
To plant a tree in memory of Frances Taylor, visit the Tribute Store.
Previous Events
Visitation
Tuesday
19
Jul
9:00 AM
- 10:00 AM
William R. McDonald Funeral Home
2591 Main Street
Stratford, CT 06615
Funeral Mass of Christian Burial
Tuesday
19
Jul
10:30 AM
Saint James Church
2070 Main Street
Stratford, CT 06615
Interment
Tuesday
19
Jul
12:00 PM
Saint Mary's Cemetery
Buckingham Ave
Milford, CT 06460
Memorial Contribution
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