STERLING: Francess (Hadley) Leppanen,78, of Bird St., died Thursday, Dec. 17 at UMASS Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
She leaves her husband of 52 years, Eric W. Leppanen, her daughters; Susan L. Leppanen of Holden, and Pamela J. Wick and her husband Andrew of Yarmouth, ME., her sisters; Nancy Sundstrom of Holden, her identical twin Joanne DePatsy of Holden and Linda Raymond and her husband Paul of Worcester, her brother Joseph Hadley, IV and his wife Joan of Talmadge, OH., two grandchildren; Peter and Rachel Francess Wick of Yarmouth, several nieces and nephews.
At one time she worked in accounting at Heald Machine Company and Norton Company in Worcester, and in advertising at The New Leader in Spencer. She also owned and operated Montgomery Ward in Spencer and Subway in Holden.
Fran loved to go to her condo in Wells, Maine to be near the beach, which she really enjoyed. She also loved being in Yarmouth, Maine spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She also loved shopping with her daughters and laughing and having fun playing games for hours with her twin sister, Joanne.
In the last year, she spent a lot of her time knitting scarves for the military and the homeless.
She was born in Worcester, the daughter of Joseph and Agnes (McAulay) Hadley, III and later graduated from David Prouty High School in Spencer and attended Clark University in Worcester.
A funeral service for Fran will be held on Monday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. in the J.HENRI MORIN & SON FUNERAL HOME, 23 Maple Terr., Spencer. A calling hour will precede the service from 10 to 11 a.m. Covid-19 precautions, face masks and social distancing both at the funeral home and cemetery must be observed. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, E.Brookfield. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 3 International Dr., Suite 200, Rye Brook, NY., 10573.