Francine (Cooney) McLeod

Francine (Cooney) McLeod of Bethel, CT, died peacefully on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at Danbury Hospital with her family surrounding her.

Francine is survived by her daughter: Diane McLeod Ewart and son-in-law John Ewart of Lewes, DE; her granddaughters: Casey Lynne Ewart of Lewes, DE, and Erin McLeod Ewart and her husband Kevin Melgar of Seattle, WA; her great-granddaughter: Ryan Elizabeth Melgar, of Seattle, WA; and her sister: Jean Gabriele (Tom) of Timonium, MD, and brother: Dr. Robert Wilson (Elise) of San Francisco, CA. She was preceded in death by her husband: Daniel Joseph McLeod of Bethel, CT, and her sister: Betty Cunningham of Metuchen, NJ.

Francine was born on November 8, 1929, in Mineola, NY, to Louise (Feth) Cooney and Francis A. Cooney. She attended Garden City High School and Cortland State Teachers College (now SUNY Cortland). She and her husband moved to Bethel in 1959, and she became a travel agent at Danbury Travel Agency, where she worked for 27 years with her close friend Helen Gallagher.

She and her husband Daniel founded and ran their own antiques business, Down From the Attic, and were founding vendors at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford, CT. Francine was a dedicated volunteer at the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association, an active member of the Bethel Senior Center, and a congregant at St. Mary Parish in Bethel. 

The family will receive friends at the Bethel Funeral Home at 215 Greenwood Ave. in Bethel on Saturday, March 24, from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. A Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate Francine’s life will take place afterward at St. Mary Church in Bethel starting at 11:00 AM, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association. 

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