Obituary of Frances Mande

WESTPORT, CONN Frances Mande, a long-time Westport community member, has passed away at the age of 103. She will be remembered for her deep love of family, her tenacity and resilience, and her dry wit. Fran was born in Russia in 1922. She came to America with her family when she was 7 years old, and they settled in Brooklyn. She and her husband, Irving Mande, met when she was 17 and married when she was 19. Fran and Irv moved to Westport in 1956. They raised 3 children - Alan, Jerry and Susan - in their Westport house, where Fran lived until passing. The two traveled the world together, and she says many of her fondest memories are from those trips. Fran and Irv always celebrated their monthly anniversary, starting from the day they were married. Irv died in 2006. "I was happiest when Irv and I were together," she said. Caption: Fran recently back at Mt. Ivy, near where she and Irv first met. Love for her family was a driving force for Fran throughout her life. Her fondest memories of her own childhood were celebrating Jewish holidays with her grandparents in Brooklyn. In addition to her three children, Fran had seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren when she passed, and she was a formative presence in many of their lives. When Fran was admitted to the hospital a few months before passing, all seven grandchildren came to be with her. Caption: Fran's grandchildren visit her in the hospital in May, 2025. "My greatest achievements in my life are my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren," Fran said. "To me, family is more important than something material." Fran has many fond memories from her nearly seven decades in Westport. She loved attending shows at the Westport Country Playhouse, taking her kids and grandkids to Compo Beach and Mario's restaurant, and participating in many town programs. An avid community member, Fran was a regular at the Senior Center, Westport Library and Levitt Pavilion. She also enjoyed the Westport Road Runners program. She proudly remembers her picture in the Westport News for finishing a 10-mile race, in her 70s. In our article celebrating her 103rd birthday, we wrote that a brief illness had kept her from her usual visits to the beach. Before passing, she healed enough to make it to the beach several more times. She was lifted up by the kind emails she received from you all. Caption: Fran at Compo beach last month. Asked about the best days she could remember, Fran recalled holiday celebrations, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, and graduations. And, of course, the 23,000 days she spent with Irv. "Truly my life has been one best day, for which I am very grateful." The funeral will be Sunday, July 13 at 10am at Temple Israel of Westport, located at 14 Coleytown Rd. Friends and community members are welcome. Shiva will be held at Fran's home. Contributions in memory of Fran may be made to the Westport Library (www.westportlibrary.org) or Westport Senior Center (www.wscfriends.org/donate). All quotes are from a series of interviews family members conducted with Fran in 2020 and 2021. Interment will be held privately at Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main Street, Westport, CT.