Frances T. Blakeney

Frances Thompson Blakeney, 82, of Bow, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, died Wednesday, July 4, 2007, at the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association's Hospice House. Born in Concord on Sept. 19, 1924, she was the daughter of Willis D. Thompson Jr. and Frances Heath Thompson. Fran is survived by her loving husband of 58 years, Gordon R. Blakeney. They were wed at the chapel at St. Paul's School on Sept. 9, 1949. Fran is also survived by her four children, Rob Blakeney of Concord, Don Blakeney and his wife, Janet Kassel, of Janesville, Wis., Laurie Blakeney of Concord, and Sandy Blakeney of Madison, Wis.; three grandsons, Gabriel Kassel-Blakeney of San Diego, Christopher Kassel-Blakeney of Janesville, Wis., and Samuel Blakeney, also of Janesville; and several nieces and nephews. Fran was predeceased by her older sister, Virginia Thompson Brown of Little Rock, Wis., and her younger brother, W. Duer Thompson III of Concord. Fran attended Walnut Hill School of Natick, Mass., and Sarah Lawrence College of Bronxville, N.Y., where she took a double major in modern dance and child psychology. She then furthered her dance studies with Hanya Holm and other artists in New York City until returning to Concord. While raising her family in Concord, Fran was a lead dancer in local productions of classic Broadway musicals, such as Oklahoma!, Brigadoon and others. She was instrumental in several important Concord projects, helping to found the Friends of the Concord Public Library, saving the Old Post Office, acquiring the Annicchiarico Theatre, researching and compiling the History of the Concord Music Club, founding the Granite State Restless Legs Syndrome Support Group, and supporting the fledgling Concord Historical Society. The family wishes to give special thanks to the wonderful people who helped care for Fran: Dr. Robert Johnson, Dr. Stephen Wilczynski, the staff of the Concord Hospital and particularly the staff of the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association's Hospice House. Frances Thompson Blakeney was a member of the Concord Unitarian Universalist Church. Plans for a memorial service are pending and will be printed soon. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Concord Historical Society, the Hospice House or Granite State Restless Legs Syndrome Support Group.