She was born in South Portland on Sept. 2, 1920, a daughter of Eugenie Edgecomb and Edmund Dole. She graduated as valedictorian at Limington Academy in the Class of 1938. Her life was full of love from family and friends.
On Oct. 14, 1939, she married Vernon Burgess of Saco. They were happily married for nearly 49 years. Together they built a home on Louden Road in Saco from trees hand-cut and hauled out by horse and sleigh from a Hollis wood lot they owned. This is where Fran lived until she turned 90 when she moved to her Wardwell home, downtown. An independent woman, Fran worked in the Saco-Lowell Shop computer section for five years and then moved on to a data processing position at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for 20 years.
Frances enjoyed many social activities, being a member of book groups, church organizations, square dancing teams, and a bridge club for decades. She traveled to many places in the USA, including several trips to Iowa to visit her youngest daughter, Carol and her family. Frances’ favorite sojourn was to England with her eldest daughter, Dianne, visiting the family ancestral home of Cotehele, where the Duchess of Edgcumbe still resided. Fran was very interested in antiques, genealogy and British history and told numerous stories in order to keep the ancestors alive in memories. She, too, will be honored in stories for generations to come.
Mrs. Burgess belonged to the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, known as E & I, and served as president for a time. She also was a member of the Saco Historical Society and volunteered at Saco Museum for over 17 years. She was a parish member at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco. As a resident of Wardwell, Fran lived independently for a few years and then transitioned to assisted living where she was loved by the caring staff and visited daily by family and friends, all of whom she called, “Dahlin,” in her iconic Maine accent. She was also an animal lover, especially adoring of her basset hound, Fred.
Frances is preceded in death by: her husband, Vernon on Feb. 8, 1988; her dear mother, Eugenie; and favorite cousin, Barbara. She is survived by: two daughters, Dianne Burke of Old Orchard Beach, and Carol Simmons and her husband, Roger of Bloomfield, Iowa; four grandchildren, Bonnie Dill, Jennifer Wilson, Jill Nelson, and Michael Heim; and nine great-grandchildren, Tyler, Laura, Paige, Kassie, Dylan, Madeline, Haley, Jedd and Brad. Fran was also the great-great grandmother to three, London, Beckham and Theo, with a fourth expected this week.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 27 at Cote Funeral Home Chapel. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 28, 2017, at First Parish Congregational Church in Saco. Burial will follow in Limington Cemetery.
Donations to Saco Historical Society can be considered in lieu of flowers.
To view Frances’ memorial page or leave an online condolence, please visit cotefuneralhome.com.
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