Geraldine Frances French

Geraldine Frances French, age 70 of Grafton, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 in her home surrounded by her family. Geraldine Wesolowski was born on November 8, 1942 in Acton Township to Dominick and Effie (Altendorf) Wesolowski. She attended and graduated from Oakwood High School in 1962. After graduation, she kept busy with various daycare jobs and even worked as a Grafton City Cab driver for a while. Her proudest career began as a telephone operator at Northwestern Bell. She had several promotions over the years where she eventually became Chief Operator. On July 3, 1971, she was united in marriage to Marvin French at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. The couple made their home in Grafton. Upon starting a family, she became a full-time mom and had a daycare in her home for several years. In 1989, she decided to go back to work part-time in the lunchroom at Central school and also worked for the ESP program after school. In 1999, she started working full-time at the State Developmental Center in the Nutrition Services department and retired from that position in January of 2010. After retirement, she was extremely proud and overjoyed to be able to provide full-time daycare for her granddaughter Kendra who was born in June of 2010. She was a lifetime member of St. John's Catholic Church and was also a member of the Polish National Alliance, Lodge 3043 of Warsaw, ND. In her spare time, Geraldine loved to cook, bake and try new recipies. She was an excellent seamstress and even sewed her own clothes for many years. She also loved having a garden every summer with homegrown vegetables and enjoyed volunteering at the local food pantry. Geraldine is survived by her husband Marvin; her children Francine French of West Fargo and Jeremy (Jenny) French of Grafton; granddaughter Kendra Ann French; sister Jeanette (Clarence) Curran of Grand Forks; sister-in-law Elaine Novak of Grafton; brother-in-law LeRoy French of Grand Forks, as well as several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Dominick and Effie Wesolowski and her mother-in-law, Natalie (Nettie) French. Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, April 26, 2013 at 10:30 A..M. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Grafton. Visitation will be Friday from 9-10:30 A.M. at the church. Interment will be at St. John's Catholic Cemetery of Grafton.