Frances Roberts

Frances Marie Roberts, 100, passed away peacefully in her home in Los Alamitos, California on January 31, 2024. She was known by close friends and family as Fran, or Frant. Fran was born on August 04, 1923, in Stratford, Connecticut to Stephen and Julia Chanda, and was one of 13 loving children. She has fond memories of growing up on her family's farm, and with her very own baseball team comprised of only her siblings. Their farm helped to support Stratford through the Great Depression, providing foods like milk and eggs to their neighborhood. 

Fran was a military spouse with William serving in WWII. When her husband was at war, Fran became one of the many women participating in the Home Front war effort, volunteering and stepping into traditionally male jobs. She became a mother to Joanie and Nancie in Connecticut, and would soon drive a Cadillac convertible to California to escape the cold with her husband and the two girls. She spent much of her professional life as a supervisor in the lithography department at McDonnell Douglas, which would later become Boeing. 

It was in California that she became a grandmother to Tami, Julee, Katie, and Lara. Fran highly valued her family and home life, and found a lot of joy in her hobbies, which included traveling, gardening, painting, her daily crossword, and being a devoted baseball and football fan. Fran took pride in attending eight Super Bowls, including Super Bowl I. 

Fran was an inspiration and remarkable in her later years, living with and helping to raise her granddaughters Katie and Lara as if they were her own. She attended Bingo weekly and impressed family and friends until the very end. There was a 1 in 1,000 chance you could beat her at a game of Scrabble, even at 100 years old. 

Fran is survived by her daughter, Nancie, brother, Daniel Chanda of Stratford, sons-in-law Gilbert and Robert, granddaughters Tami, Julee, Katie, and Lara, several nieces and nephews, and over a dozen great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, William, Fran was pre-deceased by her loving daughter, Joanie Chamberlain, brothers, William, Joseph, Stephen, and John Chanda, and sisters, Margaret Gorlo, Pauline Hudak, Regina Raslavsky, Anne Millett, Dr. Catherine Anderson, Irene Kollar, and Marie Ernst. 

Arrangements are under the care of Forest Lawn, Cypress, CA. Please read below for more information on her Celebration of Life ceremony that will be held at 9:00 am on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024.