WOODBRIDGE, VA — Nina Barbara Francis, 87, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at the Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge, Va, from complications of her battle with cancer.
She was born in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sept. 20, 1925, the daughter of Owen and Annie (Trent) Buchanan.
Nina lived in Plattsburgh for many years, first at Plattsburgh Air Force Base with her children and former husband, the late Lt. Col. William V. Francis Sr. and later on Lynde St. and Adirondack Lane. A single child, Nina was raised to appreciate music and art, taking dance and piano lessons. Upon moving to Peru, N.Y. and then Plattsburgh, she fell in love with the picturesque North Country landscapes and began painting them. She studied under a number of well-known local artists, and her colorful and uniquely stylized landscapes and still lifes were exhibited at art shows, craft fairs, libraries and art shops throughout New York and New Jersey.
Nina also enjoyed playing bridge, watching nature programs, action movies and news on television. She contributed to many causes, including military veterans, U.S. Olympics, and the St. Joseph's Indian School. She was appointed by the mayor of Plattsburgh to the Commission on Human Relations. Mostly, Nina loved hearing from her children and dearest friends.
She leaves three sons to cherish her memory, William Vincent Francis Jr. of Brooklyn, N.Y., Michael Owen Francis and Todd Robert Francis of Washington, D.C.; two daughters, Wilanina Barbara Francis of Hackensack, N.J. and Kimberly Dawn Francis of Woodbridge, Va; granddaughter, Tarika Francis of Atlanta, Ga.; and grandson Seth Baxter of Los Angeles, Calif.; and many friends and others touched by her caring and giving nature.
There will be a memorial service at 1 p.m. on Oct. 13, at the Mountcastle Life Celebration Home in Dale City, Va.
Donations in her memory may be made to Arts For The Aging, 12320 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, or online at http://www.aftaarts.org/newsroom/summer_campaign
