Frances I. (Worden) Louden

Frances I. Louden, 90, died in the afternoon of January 19, 2019 at The Seasons at Summercrest in Newport, NH, where she had resided since March 2015 and was a friend to all. Her passing was unexpected but peaceful in the presence of her daughter.

 Born on June 10, 1928 in Beebe River, NH to Rufus and Ethel (Smith) Worden, she lived briefly in Croydon, NH and Windsor, VT before moving to North Newport, which she called home for over 45 yrs. She was a graduate of the Class of 1946 at Towle High School and married Howard C. Louden, a World War II disabled veteran, on Oct. 5, 1946. For over 20 yrs. the Daily Eagle and Manchester Union were promptly delivered by her on a 75 mile motor route.

 Frances and Howard were bitten by the travel bug and enjoyed 6-8 week road trips to all Canadian provinces and United States except Hawaii. They wintered in Silver Springs, FL for many years prior to his death in 1984, and she continued that tradition until 2002. She relaxed keeping herself busy creating beautiful items showing her talents in crocheting, needlepoint, counted cross-stitch, candle-wicking, plastic canvas, knitting and painting. There was always part of a project in the glove compartment. She was an avid reader and enjoyed  listening to country music, attending dozens of concerts at Silver Springs State Park.

Frances moved to Bascom Rd. in 1981 where some of her happiest moments were spent baking for neighbors and friends. She made weekly visits to the Naylors to deliver cookies, bars, truffles, fudge, monkey bread, baklava, potato chip cookies, hamburger cookies or one of her other patiently-made goodies, all wrapped and taped.  Halloween children knew that she would have assorted bags of treats as no simple candy bar from the store would do. Christmas was a special time for her as she made platters of hundreds of sweets well into her 80’s. On all recipes she had abbreviations  so she knew which ones were favorites for everyone. She became Aunt Fran to the neighborhood children and their friends and relatives who loved to visit her, learn to ride their bikes on her driveway, play in her fields (and get a snack). When young, they knew that games, puzzles and books were in her bottom desk drawer.

 She had a gift for animals since childhood. The Bascom Rd. dogs, especially Buddy, learned that she was great at scratching behind the ears, brushing their coats and feeding them dog biscuits. (They were always in her pockets and in her car). Whenever a family pet was absent, her home was the first place to look. Although a meticulous housekeeper, she welcomed all four-footed friends despite their dirty paws.

Her parents, an infant sister, Patricia, and a brother, Aubrey, predeceased her. She was the loving mother of Regina “Gina” Grantham of Newport and is also survived by special friends, Jeffery Brown and Martha Naylor of Newport, a niece, Tracy Worden of Allston, MA and many cousins.

A graveside service will be held Friday, January 25, 2019 at 11AM at North Newport Cemetery with John Monroe-Cassel officiating. Please wear something blue-you know she is. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 166 River Rd #210, Bedford, NH 03110. The family and friends wish to thank the staff at The Seasons at Summercrest and members of Lake Sunapee VNA & Hospice team for their compassionate care. To share a memory or leave a condolence, please go to www.newtonbartlett.com.

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