Kennedy, Frances

KENNEDY, Frances Marie - Frances was born February 12, 1918, in North Bay to Gertrude Doyle and Julian Laberge. Her adventuresome spirit, which was inherited from her grandfather, Rocky Doyle, a founding father of North Bay, helped shape her life. Frances was always eager to see and try new things and visit new places. She grew up in North Bay but left in 1935 to enter nursing training in Sudbury. However, this was not to be. In 1936 she married John Thomas (Jack) Kennedy and settled in Sudbury. Jack and Frances were married for 44 years and had six children, four girls and two boys. Jack passed away at the age of 65. In her lifetime, Frances had a variety of careers including hotel owner/manager and Real Estate Sales Agent. However, her prime role throughout her life was mother and wife. Her children always knew that if they needed mom, she would be there no matter where they were. Frances had many loves. Her adventuresome spirit led to travel. She visited Europe seven times, once crossing on the Concorde. Her last European trip was in 2000 at the age of 82 when she spent time in southern Greece. She travelled coast to coast in both Canada and the USA. She also went to Australia and New Zealand. For Frances seeing the terra cotta warriors in China and walking into King Tut's tomb in Egypt were the fulfillment of a life's dream. Bridge was another passion for Frances. She belonged to bridge groups in Sudbury, Toronto, Bobcaygeon, St. Petersburg, Florida and Little Current, Ontario. Problems with movement ended her bridge playing. Frances was an excellent cook, always willing to try something new. She loved to have family members around the kitchen participating in the preparation and catching up on family news. Frances and her sister, Elva, moved to the Island in the spring of 1995 to enjoy the slower pace of the beautiful town of Little Current. She was a member of St Bernard's Roman Catholic Church. In Little Current she was surrounded by loving family. Her death on December 28, 2009 has left an unfulfillable gap in her family. Frances wisdom and advice is no longer available. She is survived by her 6 children, Frances (Farouk Sabet) Kennedy, Patricia (Nico) Malevris, John (Brenda Dear) Kennedy, Trudy (Peter) Bolduc, Mary Ellen (Robert Dault) Kennedy, Micheal (Brenda Henderson) Kennedy and her 14 grandchildren including her eldest granddaughter Kelly Bolduc-O'Hare who had a special devotion to her grandmother. She is also survived by her sister Elva Laberge and 17 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband Jack Kennedy and her brother Howard Laberge. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be at St. Bernards Catholic Church on Saturday June 12, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. arrangements with ISLAND FUNERAL HOME.