Frances Curran McKenney

FALMOUTH - Frances Mary Elizabeth McKenney, 91, died peacefully with her family surrounding her on Saturday, July 13, 2013. She was born in Portland August 14, 1921, one of 13 children born to William and Frances (Dunphy) Curran. A 1938 graduate of Portland High

School, she went to work during World War II at the South Portland shipyard, building Liberty ships.

She married Gordon ("Mac") McKenney and the couple moved to Falmouth in 1947 where they built a home and raised four children. She continued to live in her home independently until last week when she became ill.

A hard working, spirited lady, she held a number of jobs during her lifetime in addition to raising a family. She worked at B & M Baked Beans, W.T. Grant, and retired in 1988 after 28 years with Shaw's Supermarkets.

When "Mac" took up golf, she decided to join him in the sport, telling her children, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Long after Mac died in 2003, she continued to play with her son, Gordon, until last summer. Despite suffering from extremely limited vision, she was still able to hit the ball straight down the fairway.

In her younger years she loved spending the day at the beach, and in her later years taking trips to the casinos and sightseeing in Portland Harbor on a Casco Bay Lines ferry. Her greatest love was spending time with her family.

In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a great grandson, Quinn Gray; a granddaughter, Tiffany Bartlett; and a grandson, Christopher Gordon Poor. She is survived by a daughter, Patsy Shaw and her husband Larry, of Cumberland and their children, Kim Lowe and her husband, John, of Falmouth and Kevin Shaw of Portland; a son, Gordon McKenney and his partner, Paula Gibbs, of Woolwich, and his children, Kraig McKenney, of Boothbay Harbor, Kirk McKenney and his wife Ronnie of Fortston, Ga., and Douglas McKenney, of Seattle, Wash; a daughter, Carol Jean McKenney, of Falmouth, and her daughters, Cathy Gray and her husband, Brian, of Lewiston and Kelly Wilburn and her husband, Edward, of Portsmouth, VA; and daughter, Sharon Poor and her husband, Ron St. Pierre, of Falmouth and Sharon's son, Bob Poor

and his wife, Darcy of Cumberland. She is survived by 19 great-grandchildren.

There will be a graveside service Thursday, July 18 at 2 p.m. at Blanchard Cemetery in Falmouth with Pastor Bob Gustavson of Emmaus Lutheran Church in Falmouth officiating. There will be no wake or calling hours. Arrangements are by Lindquist Funeral Home in Yarmouth; messages of condolence may be left on their website, lindquistfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, stjude.org/donate.