Obituary of Frances Termyna

Frances Termyna, known to most as “Aunt Fran", passed away on February 28, 2022 at Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice in Fredon, NJ at the age of 99.

She was a long-time resident of Boonton and Clifton NJ. She was preceded in death by her husband Edward Termyna, sharing 27 years of marriage together.

Born in Boonton NJ on July 26, 1922, Fran was the eldest child of Italy born immigrants, Anita Meloni and Attilio DiGuiseppi.

Fran attended Catholic school and completed the seventh grade before leaving school to begin working at the age of 14. Fran missed attending school, and had a strong desire to learn. After work, she would go to the library 3 days a week to read as much as she could, and other days would join the nuns on the convent steps where she engaged in more reading and learning activities. The nuns would brag about how smart she was, and how fast she learned.

In 1936, Fran’s first job was working at a local umbrella factory earning $1.00 a day. In 1942 after the beginning of WWII, she started working at Boonton Molding, a factory manufacturing plastic parts during war time for the Western Electric Company to assist with defense until the war ended. In 1945, Boonton Molding transitioned to manufacturing its own line of plastic dinnerware, known as “Boontonware”. Fran showed promise in the area of product inspection with her sharp intellect and “good eyes and strong fingers”, and was quickly promoted to the night time supervisor overseeing 22 workers. Fran described her night duties with vivid memories of how the heat would be turned off at 3am every morning, and how cold she felt while standing on the concrete floor as she worked. In order to keep warm, she had to wear layers of sweaters under her uniform top in order to visibly display her name tag. Fran was a “late bloomer”, and did not learn how to drive a car until 1969 at the age of 47, when she received her driver’s license. Before then, she remembered walking to work in the dark every evening, and back home every morning trekking through all kinds of weather such as heavy rain and snow. Fran retired from Boonton Molding in 1977 after an injury to her left arm sadly disabled her. She no longer could fulfill her duties at the Molding, and was forced to leave the company after 35 years of employment.

Fran enjoyed years of travel with her late husband Ed, and was an avid reader from an early age enjoying any book she could get her hands on from romance novels, to her favorite read, historical fiction books.

Fran will be remembered and admired for her unconditional dedication to family, and her kind and gentle nature. She was undeniably strong willed and keen minded, and had a tenacious drive to live. She never lost her an unwavering spirit to survive and fight against the insurmountable odds she faced.

She is survived by her beloved nieces and nephews and many dear and loving friends.

Visitation will be held on Saturday March 5, 2022, from 9:00AM to 11:00AM followed by a funeral service at 11:00AM at Norman Dean Home for Services 16 Righter Avenue Denville, NJ 07834 www.normandean.com.   Interment services will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Boonton, NJ, at 12:30PM.