Frances J. Kershaw died on August 6, 2007 in Danbury, CT. She was the wife of the late William Lewis Kershaw. Fran had been a resident of Lockwood Lodge in Newtown, CT for the past two years.

Born Francesca Guissepa DiBartolo on May 4, 1912 in Cleveland , Ohio, Fran was the youngest daughter of the seven children of Achille and Nicolina DiBartolo. She was a skilled seamstress and homemaker who, with her beloved husband Lew, resided for forty years on Fado Lane in Cos Cob, CT having moved there from Cleveland, OH in 1965.

Fran and Lew were avid sailors, active in both the Old Greenwich Yacht Club and the Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club. They won many yachting awards and recognitions with their six meter sailboat "Madcap" that they brought to Greenwich, CT through the Erie Canal. They later enjoyed many years of sailing on Long Island Sound with friends and family on their cruising sailboat "Surfrider".

Fran was known for her love of dancing, her fashion and her devotion to her husband Lew. She is survived by her step-daughter Marilyn Williams of Mooresville, NC. , Marilyn's two daughters Suzanne and Cynthia and son Robert along with five great grand children. She is also survived by her nephews: Frank Lanza, of Cleveland, OH, Richard DiBartolo of Kennesaw, Georgia and Rudy Damico of Dayton, OH and nieces Rosalie Jasinski of Dallas, TX, and Elizabeth Ann Leonard of Roanoke, VA., as well as a number of grand nieces and grand nephews including her Godson Thomas Lanza of Southbury, CT.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, August 14, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima RC Church on Church Hill Road, Newtown. Visiting hours will be held at the Southbury Funeral Home of Munson-Lovetere, 235 Main Street North on Monday August 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Frances' remains will be interred in the Kershaw Family plot with those of her husband Lew at Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence, MA. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the American Red Cross, Waterbury Area Chapter, 64 Holmes Avenue, Waterbury 06710-2491. To send an online condolence, please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.

Memorials: Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the American Red Cross, Waterbury Area Chapter, 64 Holmes Avenue, Waterbury 06710-2491.

Cemetery: Cemetery Not Applicable

Location: Munson-Lovetere Southbury

Funeral: St. Rose of Lima Church

Services: A mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, August 14, at 10: 30 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima RC Church on Church Hill Road, Newtown. Frances' remains will be interred in the Kershaw Family plot with those of her husband Lew at Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence, MA.

Visitation: Visiting hours will be held at the Southbury Funeral Home of Munson-Lovetere, 235 Main Street North on Monday August 13, from 6: 00 to 7: 30 pm.