Obituary for Francis J. "Fran" Quinn
Francis J. Quinn, Jr. ,85, of Rocky Hill, and formerly of Wethersfield, died Friday, January 31, 2020 after a brief illness. Born in Greenfield, MA, Fran was the son of the late Francis and Irene (Cress) Quinn.
Francis graduated from Greenfield High School in 1952 and prepped for one year at Deerfield Academy in 1953 before entering the University of Connecticut where he graduated in 1957 with a BA in Government. Fran went on to receive his MA in economics in 1967 from Trinity College.
Fran was known locally in Greenfield and at UCONN as “Red” for his red hair. He was a star athlete in both basketball and tennis. In 1952 he led the Greenfield Greenies to their first Valley League title in 40 years. While attending UCONN he lettered in both basketball and tennis. In tennis, he was the #3 player in singles and also played doubles. In his senior year, Fran co-captained the Huskies basketball team that at the time played in the Yankee Conference under legendary coach Hugh Greer. His 1954/55 basketball team was the first team to play in the newly built field house. That team was honored in 1990 on the occasion of the 367th and final varsity game played in the field house before Gampel Pavilion opened. In 2002, Fran donated various basketball items to the J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum that opened that year and his items are still on exhibit in the alumni house. Among the items include 5 typed note cards that listed the duties of the captains, one of which preached among other things “maintain courteous and business-like attitude toward officials”.
Fran was a US Army veteran, serving six months of activity duty in 1957 and ended his commitment in 1963.
Fran started his career in business as a General Electric financial trainee and joined Connecticut General Life Insurance, now CIGNA in 1959. He retired from CIGNA in 1996 after over 36 years of service. While there, Fran became an underwriter in the group insurance and ended his career as a Director of Expense Recovery in group insurance operations. Of note, Francis continued his career in basketball playing on the Connecticut General’s basketball team in the All-Insurance basketball league.
In the 70’s Fran was active in Wethersfield Little League, as both manager and assistant managers of both minor and major league teams and was President of the league for five years. As manager of Rotary, the team won the town championship in 1973.
In his retirement, Fran enjoyed travelling with Betty to the Cape and Maine, seeking out new restaurants and shops, discovering new basketball stars, and following all sports, particularly UCONN. Fran had the gift of giving you his honest opinion whether you liked it or not, and he was always willing to help you succeed but you had to show the effort. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
He is survived by his sons and their wives: Eric (Tammy), Kevin (Mary-El), and Matthew (Jennifer), his grandchildren: Tom, Riley, Brian, Kelsey, Carly, Alex, Zachary and Ethan, his brother-in-law John Lewis and nephews Jonathan and David (Carrie) Lewis and his family, as well as his beloved friend Betty Johnson and her family. He was pre-deceased by his former wife Joan Quinn, and his sister-in-law Phyllis Lewis.
Funeral mass will be Friday, February 7, 2020 at 10:00 am in the Church of the Incarnation. There are no calling hours. The family will receive friends at 9:30am in the church, prior to mass.
Burial will be Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 11 am, in Calvary Cemetery, Greenfield, MA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Foodshare – 450 Woodland Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002-1342. To extend online condolences or for further information, please visit farleysullivan.com.
Francis graduated from Greenfield High School in 1952 and prepped for one year at Deerfield Academy in 1953 before entering the University of Connecticut where he graduated in 1957 with a BA in Government. Fran went on to receive his MA in economics in 1967 from Trinity College.
Fran was known locally in Greenfield and at UCONN as “Red” for his red hair. He was a star athlete in both basketball and tennis. In 1952 he led the Greenfield Greenies to their first Valley League title in 40 years. While attending UCONN he lettered in both basketball and tennis. In tennis, he was the #3 player in singles and also played doubles. In his senior year, Fran co-captained the Huskies basketball team that at the time played in the Yankee Conference under legendary coach Hugh Greer. His 1954/55 basketball team was the first team to play in the newly built field house. That team was honored in 1990 on the occasion of the 367th and final varsity game played in the field house before Gampel Pavilion opened. In 2002, Fran donated various basketball items to the J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum that opened that year and his items are still on exhibit in the alumni house. Among the items include 5 typed note cards that listed the duties of the captains, one of which preached among other things “maintain courteous and business-like attitude toward officials”.
Fran was a US Army veteran, serving six months of activity duty in 1957 and ended his commitment in 1963.
Fran started his career in business as a General Electric financial trainee and joined Connecticut General Life Insurance, now CIGNA in 1959. He retired from CIGNA in 1996 after over 36 years of service. While there, Fran became an underwriter in the group insurance and ended his career as a Director of Expense Recovery in group insurance operations. Of note, Francis continued his career in basketball playing on the Connecticut General’s basketball team in the All-Insurance basketball league.
In the 70’s Fran was active in Wethersfield Little League, as both manager and assistant managers of both minor and major league teams and was President of the league for five years. As manager of Rotary, the team won the town championship in 1973.
In his retirement, Fran enjoyed travelling with Betty to the Cape and Maine, seeking out new restaurants and shops, discovering new basketball stars, and following all sports, particularly UCONN. Fran had the gift of giving you his honest opinion whether you liked it or not, and he was always willing to help you succeed but you had to show the effort. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
He is survived by his sons and their wives: Eric (Tammy), Kevin (Mary-El), and Matthew (Jennifer), his grandchildren: Tom, Riley, Brian, Kelsey, Carly, Alex, Zachary and Ethan, his brother-in-law John Lewis and nephews Jonathan and David (Carrie) Lewis and his family, as well as his beloved friend Betty Johnson and her family. He was pre-deceased by his former wife Joan Quinn, and his sister-in-law Phyllis Lewis.
Funeral mass will be Friday, February 7, 2020 at 10:00 am in the Church of the Incarnation. There are no calling hours. The family will receive friends at 9:30am in the church, prior to mass.
Burial will be Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 11 am, in Calvary Cemetery, Greenfield, MA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Foodshare – 450 Woodland Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002-1342. To extend online condolences or for further information, please visit farleysullivan.com.