| Louise Franks | |
 | |
| Birth: | 23 November 1913 Cox’s Hill, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda |
| Death: | 17 August 2021 Paget Parish, Bermuda |
| Age: | 107 years, 267 days |
| Country: |  BER
|
| Centenarian | |
Catherine Dorothea Louise Franks (née Butterfield; 23 November 1913 – 17 August 2021) was a Bermudian centenarian who was the oldest person ever from Bermuda at the time of her death.
Biography[]
Louise Franks was born in Cox’s Hill, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda on 23 November 1913, the youngest of 13 children of Edward Charles Waldron Butterfield and Ida "Ada" Louisa (née Bascome) Butterfield.
At the age of nine, she moved from Pembroke to Paget and attended Paget Glebe. She left school at the tender age of 12 to work.
She married Thaddeus Franks at St. Paul’s Church, Paget Parish, Bermuda on 22 August 1934. The couple had three children: Edward Franks (now deceased), Gloria Butterfield (now deceased) and Marie Franks (now deceased).
Upon early retirement, Franks decided to work as a seamstress from her home in Paget. She sewing school uniforms and various clothing pieces for her grandchildren, their friends, and everyone who asked. She also became a childminder for her grandchildren, friends and eventually, her great-grandchildren.
She taught Sunday school, specifically in the nursery, where she cared for more than 500 children from 1964 to 1995. During her time in the nursery, Louise became known by all as "Granny Franks".
On her 105th and 107th birthday, she received a visit from the Premier David Burt (who was born on the same day as her 65 years later).
She became the oldest known living person in Bermuda, following the death of 107-year-old Winnie Childs on 3 May 2021.
On 16 August 2021, Franks surpassed the final age of Winnie Childs, becoming the oldest person ever from Bermuda.
One day later, on 17 August 2021, Louise Franks died in Paget Parish, Bermuda at the age of 107 years, 267 days. At the time of her death, she had 11 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 17 great-great-grandchildren.
Franks was the oldest person ever from Bermuda, until she was later surpassed by Myrtle Edness on 11 April 2022.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Centenarian Louise Franks Enjoys Bermuda Day Bernews, 26 May 2015
- Louise Franks Celebrates Her 105th Birthday Bernews, 25 November 2018
- Louise Franks, 107, and Premier celebrate their shared birthday at KEMH The Royal Gazette, 24 November 2020
- Catherine Dorothea Louise Franks Obituary Legacy
- Catherine Dorothea Louise Franks Obituary Bernews Obituaries
| Bermuda's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (V • E) |
|
Hilda Smith • A'Lona Lambert-Simons • Winnie Childs • Louise Franks • Myrtle Edness • Lefroy Brownlow Place |