Frances Helen (Pester) Cipriani

Frances Cipriani – Middletown, RI

Frances Helen Cipriani (Pester), 88 passed on to be with her loving husband on December 28th. Fran was born in Danielson, Connecticut on August 27th 1934. She is the next to youngest of six siblings. She was the daughter of Walter and Mary Pester. She graduated from Killingly High School. She began her professional career as a nurse after graduating from Annhurst College of Nursing. It was during that time that she met the love of her life, Richard Cipriani, former Coach and Athletic Director at Waterford High School. They married and settled in Norwich, Connecticut. Fran was a Registered Nurse (RN) and began her career at Backus Hospital in Norwich working in the Emergency Room and ICU. She would take time off to raise her two boys and eventually returned to nursing as the School Nurse at Norwich Free Academy.

She was a communicant at St. Peter and Pauls Church in Norwich.

Fran is pre-deceased by her brothers Frank and Eugene and her sisters Gertrude, Fernanda and Victoria.

She has two sons, Richard of Portsmouth, RI and Douglas of Albuquerqe, NM and four grandchildren, Emma of West Hartford, CT, Nicholas of Portsmouth, RI, Douglas of Delray Beach FL and Julia of Niantic, CT

Fran enjoyed spending Sundays with her sisters and families in Danielson and Alexanders Lake, enjoying her family’s Polish heritage.

Fran spent many hours on the athletic fields at Waterford High School watching her husband’s teams and formed a bond with the coaches’ wives that would fill her life with friendship and countless activities including boating, skiing and entertaining. Her friends and family were important and she loved gatherings both at home and in her many outings. She and Richard would ski every weekend in Vermont in the winter and spend the weekends on their boat in the summer. She still found time to be an avid reader, fantastic cook (especially Italian food), holiday baker, her passion was Christmas cookies and to knit if there was any time left. In retirement, she belonged to civic organizations, loved to see her four grand-children and always had a big smile and kind words for everyone!

Calling hours will be Friday January 6, 2023 from 5 to 7 PM at the Cummings-Gagne Funeral Home 82 Cliff St., Norwich, CT.

A funeral service will be Saturday January 7, 2023 at 10 AM at Cummings-Gagne Funeral Home with interment to follow in Maplewood Cemetery in Norwich.

Please visit www.cummings-gagnefh.com to leave condolences or share a memory.

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