Obituary: Emma Frances McCormick King, 98, Formerly of Guilford

Obituary courtesy of Guilford Funeral Home:

On November 30, 2020 Emma Frances McCormick King, a longtime resident of Guilford, CT, and more recently of Glastonbury, CT, passed away peacefully at home. Wife of the late Thomas Joseph King, Fran was born in New Haven on February 22, 1922, the daughter of the late James J. McCormick and Emma (Stanford) McCormick. She was the loving mother of Ann C. King (Thomas Richardson) of Wellesley, MA; Thomas King of Sandwich, MA; Amy K. Ramos (Iván) of Glastonbury and Alice King of New York City. She is also survived by five grandchildren, Thomas King, Iván and Gabriela Ramos-King and Carl and Nadine Richardson, as well as her sister-in-law, Patricia King, and many dear nieces, nephews and cousins. The family expresses heartfelt thanks to Mary and Ellen, who gave Fran such loving care in her last years.

Fran was predeceased by her beloved brother James J. McCormick, Jr. and his wife Epiphanie, her dear brother-in-law, Timothy King, and sisters-in-law Rita King and Ruth King Roberts and her husband, Jack.

Fran grew up on York Street in New Haven and enjoyed summers at her family’s cottage in East Haven. An excellent student, she was a 1939 graduate of Hillhouse High School, where she unknowingly impressed her future husband with her prowess in Latin class. A 1943 graduate of Albertus Magnus College, she changed her major from English to Chemistry to be better able to contribute to the war effort. Her affinity for her alma mater was lifelong. She served as the President of the Alumnae Association from 1952 to 1954 and was named Alumna of the Year in 1975 for Loyalty and Service to the College. In 2018, she happily attended her 75th reunion.

Remarkable for a woman of her time, Fran worked as a chemist for Whitney-Blake in New Haven and later as a science editor for Encyclopedia Britannica in Chicago, before marrying in 1957 and moving to Guilford. There, she served on the Democratic Town Committee and was elected to the Board of Education, where she served as Secretary for many years, advocating for appropriate education for students of all abilities. Fran later worked as a realtor with agencies in Guilford and Madison. An avid swimmer since her days at the shore, Fran swam a quarter mile three times a week, impressing the lifeguards at the Y and later at Glastonbury High School, until she was 91.

Above all, Fran was a wonderful mother who enjoyed nothing more than having her family around her. Her children and grandchildren will hold her loving kindness and compassion forever in their hearts.

She was a parishioner of St. George Church in Guilford and later of St. Dunstan’s in Glastonbury.

Friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am on Saturday, December 5, 2020 at St. George Church, 33 Whitfield Street, Guilford, with socially distanced seating (limited space available). All are invited to an outdoor graveside service at 11:45 at St. Lawrence Cemetery, 280 Derby Ave., West Haven. Covid-19 guidelines must be followed, with social distancing and face masks required.

Live streaming of the church services will be available at www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.Me... contributions may be made to Albertus Magnus College, Office of Advancement, 700 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511 or www.albertus.edu/support-alber... or to Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, P.O. Box 302, Maryknoll, N.Y. 10545-0302 or www.maryknollsociety.org/how-s... (noting “in memory of E. Frances King”).