Obituary of Frances Caroline Lemmon
LEMMON, Frances Caroline
June 4, 1926 – December 5, 2023
In Loving Memory of Our Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother and Friend, Frances Caroline Lemmon (nee Rowsom) who passed away peacefully in her sleep at the Extendicare Falconbridge retirement residence, Sudbury, Ontario on December 5, 2023 at the age of 97. Frances is survived by her three sons, Robert (Kathryn), Victoria BC, David (Carol), Sudbury ONT and Jerry (Sandra), Canmore AB, by her five grandchildren, Vicki, Christine, Daniel, Michael and Jason and four great-granddaughters, Emily, Meghan, Sophie and Posey, her sisters-in-laws Jean Rowsom and Doreen Lemmon and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Frances was predeceased by her husband, Donald (1982), by her parents, Horton and Grace Rowsom, and by her siblings, James, Marie, Harry and Margaret. Frances was born on the Rowsom family farm in Tilbury West Township, Essex County, (now Lakeshore), Ontario. In August 1945, our Mum and Dad married. Over the next nine years they had four children, Mary (stillborn), Robert, David and Jerry. From 1953 until 2016 the family home was a five-minute walk from where she was born. Once we were all in school, Frances started working with her brother Harry in his butcher shop, followed by working in the accounting department at the Comber Co-Op and later with accounting firms in Windsor and Tilbury. Frances was an active member of both the Strangfield and the St. Andrews United Church, the Tilbury Lawn Bowling and Curling Clubs, and the Girl Guides as a Brownie Leader. Frances’s creativity came alive in her knitting, including sweaters she created of her own designs, afghan blankets and the numerous baby clothes – all of which are treasured. Family was important to Frances living so close to her parents and siblings. She was always concerned about her ‘Three Boys’ and felt responsible for her siblings. With her last sibling, Marie, passing away on November 17, 2023, and her boys almost all in their 70’s, her work was complete. She could now join our Dad, her siblings and her parents. The onset of dementia in 2014 necessitated Frances’s move from her home to long term care first in Chatham and then in 2016 to Sudbury to be closer to David. While dementia affected her in many ways, she had a fierce determination in her eyes. One of Frances’s favourite joys in later life was spending time with David’s dog, Benson. Loved not only by Mum but by all the other residents and staff, Benson, a large dog with a loud bark became this gentle, quiet five-year old puppy the moment David turned into Extendicare’s parking lot. On her 97 th birthday, Mum tightly held Benson’s leash as he pulled her wheelchair up and down the hallway to the enjoyment of everyone. To all the staff at Extendicare Falconbridge, a special Thanks for the wonderful care you gave to our Mum.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Andrew's United Church in Comber.