Frances Ewald Brainard
6/ 4/1925 – 5/2/2017


Frances (Ewald) Brainard, 91, a lifelong resident of Cromwell, died on May 2, 2017 at Pilgrim Manor, her home for the last three years.

Fran was a proud member of the Middletown High School Class of '43 and throughout her life was a community service volunteer for the Girls Scouts, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Belden Library, United Cerebral Palsy, and the YMCA. She lived by the golden rule and always had an open door to anyone who needed a meal, to borrow the $20 bill from the Bible, or to confide in someone willing to listen to anything and never tell a soul. She loved nature, poetry, Broadway, opera, harmonizing, and all kinds of art, from "shapey" pancakes to Andrew Wyeth and Vincent van Gogh.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Nan and Richard O'Brien, of Middletown; her son and daughter-in-law, Ray Brainard and Mary Nielsen, of Broad Brook; her daughter, Beth Brainard, of Princeton, NJ; her grandson, Luke Brainard O'Brien, of Long Island, NY; and several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Stanley R. Brainard; her sister, Sally Vierira, of New Britain, and her sister, Claire Rooth, of Portland.

To honor her love of reading and libraries, memorial donations may be made to the Cromwell Belden Public Library, Attn: Fran Brainard Memorial Fund, 39 West Street, Cromwell, CT 06416. Burial will be at Rose Hill Memorial Park in Rocky Hill. Following her wishes, there will be no calling hours and a graveside service will be private.

Middletown Press - May 4, 2017