Florence Hannah Counihan

Florence Hannah (Hubbard) Counihan, of Framingham, died peacefully on Wednesday, August 14th. She was 89 years old.

Mrs. Counihan was born in Boston on April 11, 1930 to William and Elizabeth (Gay) Hubbard. While working at Sears in Boston, she met her husband, James J. Counihan, to whom she was married for 43 years until his death in 1991.

In 1963, Mr. and Mrs. Counihan moved from Boston to Framingham to raise their three young children. Mrs. Counihan also worked until she retired from Polaroid.

Once she retired, Mrs. Counihan always kept the doors open to her home in Framingham, welcoming many relatives for extended periods over the years. For one summer, two of her adult children, their spouses, and three young granddaughters moved back in all at once. Somehow, as always, she made it work.

In 1993, Mrs. Counihan began a new chapter of her life with the arrival of her grandson, James, the son of Mrs. Counihan’s daughter and her partner. She recently reflected and noted that being his “Gaga” was the best role of her life. They had a special bond that will last beyond infinity.

From that point on for nearly a decade, Mrs. Counihan made the long drive from Framingham over the Sagamore Bridge to Cape Cod every week to help her daughter and partner care for their little boy. Mrs. Counihan spent about 4 days per week on the Cape, yet always made sure to return to Framingham to check on her older brother who resided with her.

During that time, Mrs. Counihan looked forward to vacations with her grandson and his moms. They had many adventures together, from San Francisco to San Diego, Las Vegas to Hollywood, the Grand Canyon to Sedona, Disneyworld to Captiva.

Mrs. Counihan loved playing with her grandson, through all stages of his young life. “Gaga” could often be found doing activities with him, often seen rolling around on the floor, building Legos, painting, and of course, singing and dancing.

In 2004, she encountered some serious health challenges. At that time, her son, Stephen, moved home from Arizona to keep an eye on her and make sure that she was okay. Stephen became her full-time caregiver over the years, and primarily due to his love, compassion, and care, Mrs. Counihan was able to live in her lifelong home until she passed.

Mrs. Counihan enjoyed solving crossword puzzles until her eyesight made it too difficult; then she became an avid sleuth at solving TV crime dramas, and especially liked Law & Order: SVU. She always loved the color purple, and in the past few years, she began to feel an affinity for teal.

Over the past few years, she was amazed by video conferences. She especially enjoyed Facetime calls with her grandson, where she recently congratulated him for graduating from law school, and just last week, when he showed her sights and sounds from Vietnam while on his vacation.

She is survived by her son Stephen Counihan, her daughter Eileen Counihan, her daughter-in-law Erin Golden, her grandson James Golden, her daughter-in-law Margaret Counihan, her granddaughters Caitlin Endrulat, Megan Counihan Brandt, and Erin Counihan, her brother Wallace Hubbard, her great-grandchildren Alexis, James, Joseph, Owen, Adam, George, and Josephine, and her brother-in-law, Brian Counihan, and nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, James J. Counihan, Jr., her son, James W. Counihan, her brother, Russell Hubbard, and her brother-in-law, Gene Cooper.

A private family service was held for Mrs. Counihan at Wadsworth-Chiapinni Funeral Home in Framingham on August 16th. Mrs. Counihan will be interred at Blue Hills Cemetery in Braintree at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to The Friends of Framingham Heart Study. For more information, please contact 508-935-3486.