Mrs. Frances D. McMahon

Frances D. McMahon “Fran” Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother LOWELL—Frances D. “Fran” (Lavoie) McMahon, 82, the beloved wife of Gerald F. McMahon, Sr., passed away on May 29, 2018 surrounded by her loving family at Lowell General Hospital. She was born in Lowell during the flood of 1936 on March 22, to Edward and Dora (Pelletier) Lavoie. She loved telling the story of how she was named after the Francis Gate Bridge that was dropped and protected the city of Lowell from the raging waters. Fran and her husband Jerry had a double wedding at the Sacred Heart Church on July 1, 1956 with her sister Audrey and Jerry’s brother Robert McMahon. The four of them remained close, living together while stationed in Newfoundland, and then eventually moving back to Lowell only a few houses away from one another. There was a total of nine children among the two families and they would often be found split between the two houses. Fran spent a lot of time with her sister Linda as well. They would go grab a cup of coffee, do some shopping and just spend time enjoying one another’s company. On a really wild night, they could be found playing a card game of SCAT at Linda’s house surrounded by family and friends. Fran was an avid sewer, a fabulous cook, and was full of spunky personality. Her favorite times were when surrounded by family and friends. Fran worked many different jobs in her life, but her favorite and most rewarding was being a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her house was always full of children, whether it be her own four children, many nieces and nephews, the neighborhood kids, or her five grandchildren. She affectionately became “Grammy-Grammy” to the generation of her six great grandchildren. One of Fran’s favorite hobbies was sewing and making things for her loved ones. There are countless blankets, christening gowns, first communion dresses, and Halloween costumes with a “made with love by Grammy” tag sewn inside. Fran was known for many of her famous dishes, including fried rice, whoopie pies, and baked beans. Every Sunday she made a large home cooked meal of roast chicken, spaghetti, or pot roast. She never wanted anyone to go hungry…everyone always left her house with a full belly and a full heart. Fran was dearly loved and will be missed by her family; her husband Jerry; her son, Gerald F. “Jerry” McMahon, Jr. of Lowell; her daughters, Judy Ann Gallagher and her husband Thomas of Lowell, with whom she made her home, she will be reunited in Heaven with her daughter Ellen M. (McMahon) (Surprenant) Gallagher, who passed away on December 22, 2010, her son-in-law Kevin Gallagher of Goffstown, NH, and her daughter Paula J. McMahon of Stoneham and her boyfriend Bob Bianchi; her grandchildren, Danielle J. Surprenant and her partner Lisa Della Cioppa, Abbie J. (Gallagher) McCue and her husband Eric, Katie A. (Gallagher) Caldwell and her husband Jamie, Brian P. Gallagher and his wife Kaitlin, and Joseph P. Gallagher and his wife Rachel; her great grandchildren, Madelyn, Kathryn, Connor, Aubrey, Meyer, and Antonella; her sister Linda Rooney and her husband Robert; her brother, Leo “Buck” Lavoie; her brother-in-law, Robert McMahon; her sisters-in-law, Esther Peavey, Irene Shaughnessy, Shirley Mello, and Cindy McMahon; many nieces, nephews, and cousins, including Doreen, Bobby, Brian, Danny, Eddie, Bobby, Mikey, Kelly, and Tracy. Frances was the sister of the late Audrey McMahon, Edward “Sonny” Lavoie, and Marie Dupuis, and sister-in-law of the late Betty Lavoie, Rita Lavoie, Raymond Dupuis, Beverly and Ned Flood, Rita and Edward Burke, George McMahon, Alden Peavey, Robert Shaughnessy, and Leo Mello. FUNERAL NOTICE McMAHON—In Lowell, May 29, 2018 at Lowell General Hospital, Frances D. “Fran” (Lavoie) McMahon, 82, beloved wife of Gerald F. McMahon, Sr. Family and friends may call at the FAY McCABE FUNERAL HOME, 105 MOORE STREET, LOWELL on SUNDAY from 3 until 6 PM. Frances’s FUNERAL will begin on MONDAY MORNING at 10 o’clock from the Funeral Home, followed by her FUNERAL MASS at 11 o’clock at HOLY FAMILY PARISH – ST. MARIE’S CHURCH, corner of Chamberlain and Grafton Sts. S. Lowell. ARRANGEMENTS BY THE FAY McCABE FUNERAL DIRECTORS 978-459-9222 www.faymccabe.com

Mrs. Frances D. McMahon

March 22, 1936 - May 29, 2018