Deerfield, NH – Frances Lindsay Menard died October 31st in her cherished home surrounded by her children. She was born in 1930 and was a strong, independent and resilient woman.
When Fran was 11 years old she lost her mother, Anne Marvin Lindsay, to tuberculosis. Later that year, she took part in a bike ride from her home in Somerville, MA to a beloved family camp in Bow Lake, NH, a place that was special to her mother.
The Bow Lake camp was Fran’s first home when she married George Menard in 1950 after they met at Brown University, where Fran attended Pembroke College. That first winter there was only a woodstove for heat, an outside pump for water, and no electricity. Eventually the Menards settled in Canton, NY, where Fran obtained a degree in Psychology while raising their eight children, and George had a successful coaching career in hockey and baseball and taught economics at St. Lawrence University.
Every summer was spent at Bow Lake. Fran and George had fiercely contested mixed doubles tournaments with friends on the home-built tennis court. Evenings were spent by the fireplace, reading and playing cards by kerosene lamps, and relishing the slower pace of this magical place.
When Fran’s father, PK Lindsay, stepped down from leading the PK Lindsay Company, manufacturer of air compressors, George joined the company. The family moved to Deerfield and Fran became deeply involved in the community. She served as Assistant to the Moderator on election days. The Boards and Commissions she served on are numerous, starting with the Conservation Commission, Alternate on Planning Board (taking a few years off in 1989 to care for her husband George during his illness), the Board of Selectmen, and the Cemetery Commission. She also served as the Board of Selectmen representative to the Heritage Commission and remained an active member until 2018. Fran was a lifetime member of the Historical Society. She loved to verify the town boundary lines (known as perambulation), and was often seen bicycling around Deerfield with her dear friend Cindy Tomilson.
Fran was quietly supportive of others and always ready with a warm smile. She was a volunteer for Hillside Hospice, organizing home visits.
Fran had an entrepreneurial side and opened a real estate business named Parade Properties, joined by her daughter Jeanne and son Peter along with several local associates. She was proud of the agency’s professionalism and excellent service.
In the years after the sadness of George’s death in 1990, Fran decided to carry on with their travel plans. She made good friends traveling with the Elder Hostel program, visiting 28 countries overall. She particularly enjoyed taking her grandchildren on special Elder Hostel adventures: horseback riding in Montana, kayaking in Oregon, hiking to the Grand Canyon, piloting Cessna planes in Arizona and traveling by train to Disney World.
At age 70, Fran rode her bicycle across the country. There was one event she did not want to miss: the 2-day town gathering in the fall of 2000 to discuss the future of Deerfield Center. While on the final stretch of her cross-country bike trip, she came home just for that weekend.
Fran was a wonderful writer of witty and wisdom-filled letters. She held a regular position as goalie during the family’s many street hockey games, usually a shovel in one hand and a glass of wine in the other (daring the younger generations to attempt a shot on goal).
Fran was predeceased by her son Michael in 1972, her husband George in 1990, and her son Peter in 2016. She is survived by Rupert, her wonder cat accomplice; her daughter-in-law Anne Burnett, her son Michael and wife Carissa, her son David; her daughter Anne Menard and husband Guy Freeman, their children Nick and Lindsay, and Lindsay’s son Mac; daughter Jeanne Menard and husband Kevin MacDonald; daughter Carol Menard, her son Wesley and wife Mackenzie and their children Winston and Clara, and her son Cameron and his wife Lauren; daughter Cathy Menard and wife Betsy Black; daughter Mary Menard and partner Larry Hume; and son Matthew Menard and Wendy Harrington and their daughter Edie.
Please join us on Saturday, December 12th. A Celebration of Life for Frances Menard begins at 2pm with visiting starting at 1pm at Deerfield Town Hall, Church Street.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in Fran’s memory may be made to the Town of Deerfield with Age Friendly Deerfield https://www.deerfieldnh.gov/299/Age-friendly-Deerfield-Working-Group in the memo line, or the NH Food Bank https://nhfoodbank.org/.
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