HANSFORD, Frances Vivian Ruth 'Fran' (nee Cooper) – Fran passed away peacefully at Lakeshore Lodge in Toronto on April 17th, 2020 at the awesome age of 95 and a half.
Predeceased by her parents, Jessie Alvreta Cooper (nee Ellison) and Cecil Herbert Cooper of Clinton, Ontario.
She was the beloved wife of the late Henry (Harry) Raymond Hansford. Loving mother to Sue (Paul) and Lori (Randy) of Toronto.
She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren, Taylor, Rebecca, Sinead, Dylan, Owen, Oliver and great granddaughter, Akeira. As well, Fran being the second youngest of 11 children, she will be missed by her nieces and nephews.
Fran was born in Clinton, Ontario in 1924 and felt fortunate to be raised in a large family on a farm. She often spoke of how lucky they were to be on a farm during the depression years. Fran made the brave move to come to Toronto on her own as a young adult and didn’t look back. She enjoyed years as a single woman in Toronto. In particular she spoke with fondness of regular nights of dancing at the Palace on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto.
She had a number of different jobs, including secretarial work in manufacturing. Fran then settled down with Harry when she met him in the late 1950’s. Both Fran and Harry were thrilled to become parents and enjoyed raising Sue and Lori, as well as spending time as a family in Midland, Ontario (where Harry was born) and at a rented cottage on Balsam Lake each summer.
When Harry passed away, Fran raised Sue and Lori on her own and took great pride in their accomplishments and families. She was a wonderful grandmother, for example, travelling by bus and subway to care for her grandchildren when needed at the drop of a hat. Fran also enjoyed the outdoors and spent hours most days walking through Toronto parks and streets. She took great delight in the scenery, beautiful flowers and also enjoyed looking at interesting house designs. She was also a “regular” for years at Harbourfront and would skate there for hours several times per week for decades. She was particularly happy when they played some of her favourite classical music.
As a result of her active lifestyle, Fran enjoyed walking in her 90’s and could walk faster than others with a walker at times! She also enjoyed card games with her family and played those until recently.
As per Fran’s wishes, she has been cremated. In lieu of a service, Fran requested that a dinner be held to bring family together and celebrate her life, including a toast with her favourite drink, a Tom Collins! This will be arranged and communicated when it is possible in future.
In lieu of flowers, donations to a Covid-19 Response and Relief Fund would be greatly appreciated (for example, United Way, Canadian Red Cross).
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