Germaine Frande

Germaine Frandé, age 93, died on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at Cadence at Olney, an Assisted Living and Memory Care Center. She was born in Mers-El-Kabir, Algeria on April 1, 1930 to Joseph Font and Ascencion Alphonso and was the fifth of eight children, the fourth of seven girls. 

She went to an all girls school until the age of fourteen at which time she earned her Certificate D’etude. She spent most of her younger years helping her mother, doing chores, taking care of her younger siblings and helping with farm duties.  As a teenager, she went to work for a cookware manufacturer where she learned to draw flowers on dishes and bowls.  She was promoted to administrative assistant until the plant closed. She then worked for a factory that packed sardines prior to getting married.

She met Raphael Henri Frandé, her to be husband on May 10, 1945.  They were married on December 27, 1952 in Mers-El-Kebir.  They lived in Fes and Casablanca Morocco from 1953 to early 1957. They then ventured across the Atlantic via the ocean vessel,  L’Arrosa Sun, to move to Montreal Canada. They moved to the United States of America in 1962 where they settled in Maryland.

Upon arriving in the US, Germaine, a house mother, self-taught herself English by way of her husbands’ work English lessons and doing crossword puzzles from the local paper.  As a result, she spoke and wrote better English than her husband. Germaine was a devoted mother and grounded in family values that shaped who we are today. She was a great cook and loved gardening.  She was preceded in death by her husband Raphael and two of her grandkids, Angie Faulkner and Kate Frande.  She is survived by her four children, Jean-Luc, Danielle, Christian and Francis, her grandkids, Bridget, Liz, Jeanette, Greg, Patrick, Kristin and Christopher as well as nine great grandchildren.  Her spirit will be sorely missed.