Frances A Laing

Fran was born on April 20, 1936 in Worcester, MA, the daughter of L. Ainsley and Mary (Locke) Bennett.

She grew up in Grafton, MA where she graduated from high school, Class of 1954. She went on to receive a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Tufts University.

Frances ventured out west early in her teaching career, spending time in Monterey, CA and Hawaii. She returned to the East Coast for studies at the University of Connecticut, where she met the man who would become her husband. The pair moved to Long Island, NY, where she taught until they started a family and then later returned to early childhood development when her youngest was older. Frances enjoyed all that New York had to offer from the beaches to the culture of city life, especially music venues.

However, Frances always dreamed of living in Keene, and in the mid 1990s, did exactly that. She became heavily involved in the United Church of Christ as a volunteer in the Women’s Fellowship and she sang in the choir. She and a group of friends started the “Butterfly Ladies”, a social group that hosted cooking parties and traveled to Tanglewood for live music events, among many other outings.

Remembered as a sweet, kind, and gentle woman, Frances will be missed for the special ways she chose to be of service to others. Whether she was knitting caps for newborns or hats for the Troops serving overseas, Frances always thought of others. Frances was also an extremely talented quilter, baker, painter, and sketch artist. She had a child-like innocence but was also resilient. Frances was a fan of fairy tale happy endings and she found hers in the little City of Keene.

She will be greatly missed by her children: Deirdre Limoges currently of Keene, James Laing of Albany, NY, and Kristin Laing of Frederick, MD; as well as her grandchildren: Andrew, Liam, Anna, and Jayme of Schenectady, NY; sister: Mary Scamman and her husband Warren of Dalton, MA; sister-in-law: Mary Lou Bennett of Bend, OR; dear friend: Earl Huie of Long Island, NY; as well as cousins, nieces, nephews, and her dear friends who became family at the United Church of Christ.

She is predeceased by her brother, Lewis Bennett.

Family and friends are invited to attend a service on Friday, February 2, 2018 at 1 p.m. at the United Church of Christ, 23 Central Square, Keene, NH.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Frances A. Laing’s name to the United Church of Christ, 23 Central Square, Keene, NH 03431 (www.UCCKeene.org).