Frances M. "Fran" Davey

Obituary Condolences Flowers

Frances M. "Fran" Davey 1953 - 2019
NORWICH - Frances M. "Fran" Davey, 65, a longtime resident of Norwich, NY, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Guilderland, NY. Fran courageously battled cancer, as well as Multiple Sclerosis for most of her adult life. She is now joyfully dancing with the angels in Heaven.
Fran was born on May 2, 1953, in Herkimer, NY, where she grew up the eldest girl in a family of six children. Her siblings referred to her as "Chicky" and they adored their big sister. They knew they could count on her for advice, a good recipe, a good laugh, or just to listen. Her honesty and wisdom about life were two of Fran's greatest traits. Chicky was a responsible big sister who took on an active role in the obligations of the house. She graduated from Herkimer Community College in 1973 and came to know Norwich, where she worked for 33 years as a research and development technician with Norwich Eaton and then Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals. Fran met her husband, Larry Davey, while working at P&G. They married in 1975. Fran fought through her MS and cancer while working for P&G and never missed a day due to illness.
In addition to working, she raised two children. Fran also taught fitness classes for ten years at the Norwich YMCA and was an active member of the Church of St. Bartholomew. She was a true source of inspiration to people stricken with MS or cancer and often spoke with people going through their illnesses to empower and encourage them. Fran went on disability in 2006 and finally retired from P&G on May 31, 2018 after being credited with 44 years of service to P&G.
Fran's immense love for her family shined through in everything she did. Her two biggest joys were her grandchildren, Autumn (10) and Austin (8). She enjoyed going to watch her grandchildren at their sporting events, listening to her granddaughter play her cello, helping them with their homework and reading books with them. Above all, Fran enjoyed spreading her wisdom to her grandchildren, while teaching them life lessons about how to be a good person and how to see the good in others.
Fran also enjoyed cooking and baking. She was true to her Italian heritage as she made some delicious chicken cutlets, pasta dishes and meatballs. Fran also enjoyed reading, doing macramé, praying and spending time with family. She faced her challenges in life with such dignity and strength and was admired by all who were graced with her presence.
Fran is survived by her mother, Angelina Fiorentino, of FL; her husband, Larry, of Norwich; her daughter, Nicole Kozlowski and favorite son-in-law, Jeremy, of Niskayuna; her son, Garrett Davey, of Norwich; and her grandchildren, Autumn and Austin Kozlowski. She is also survived by her sisters, Lucretia Lonis (Rick Racich) and Salina (Phil) Stroda; her brothers, Salvatore "Sam" (Krisha) Fiorentino, Jr., Paul Fiorentino, all of FL and Jim (Jennifer) Fiorentino, of Spencerport, NY; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Fran was predeceased by her father, Salvatore Fiorentino.
Fran credits her longtime friend and oncologist, Dr. Joseph Readling, of Broome Oncology, for helping her to successfully battle her cancer for many years. His wisdom and guidance were instrumental in allowing her to make important medical decisions that extended her life and she was eternally grateful to him.
A prayer service for Fran will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2019, at the Wilson Funeral Home, Norwich, NY, where Rev. Ralph A. Bove will officiate. Friends are invited to call at the funeral home from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will take place, in the spring, at Calvary Cemetery, Herkimer, NY.
Contributions, in Fran's memory, may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
To leave the family a message of condolence, please visit www.wilsonfh.com.

Published in Times Telegram from Feb. 27 to Feb. 28, 2019

Winter...isn't it over yet?

   Ah, only 1 more day and February will be over and we will be a month closer to the end of this eternal frozen hell called winter.  
   Excuse me, but this year the weather has gotten to me.  I'm tired of being snowed in because our driveway and road are full of snow.  Our Cub Cadet is in pieces because Jeff took it apart before it started snowing intending to fix or replace a major part and switch the mowing deck for the snow blower.  It started to snow and that was that.  There is a shopping bag on the bench in the kitchen with new belts and other parts for it.  Hopefully, when the snow melts he'll be able to put the machine back together...and put the mowing deck back on.  
   Every time we've gotten more than 5" or 6" of snow we've been stuck here...snowed in...for 3 or 4 days until our neighbor got around to opening the road.  At first I didn't mind.  We had plenty of firewood and DVDs and I could stream Netflix,  Brit box and Acorn TV on my PC.  (Jeff is happy with Netflix).  Now my PC won't stream.  Jeff thinks it has a virus and is trying any and all anti-virus programs he can find...so far without any luck.  It shows a program for 10-15 mins than freezes.  Good thing it still runs DVDs!  (I can knit to a DVD but not to a recorded book...they put me to sleep!) 
   I know our neighbor isn't clearing the long road so we can get out. (I finally realized that
when I saw that he usually gets visitors soon after he opens the road.  The guys who store their snowmobiles by his garage want to get to them!)  But does he have to blow snow into our driveway and put more snow on my car???  By the time he's finished and Jeff goes out there the Forester is buried!!  Good thing it's a go-thru-snow car and can work itself out.  Jeff clears around the car and slowly by moving forward and back the car will burst thru the snow and make it to the plowed driveway.  At least the neighbor takes care of the berm at the pavement.  I don't think the Forester could go thru that! 
   I am also tired of falling on that snow covered speed skating rink we call a driveway.  Jeff has gone down on his back (definately not a good thing) and I've gone down on my knees.  We both limp very well and I tease him and challenged him to a race thru the house now and then.  I usually get a growl as an answer.  We tried using kitty litter for traction but that doesn't help much. There are so many foot/paw tracks out there that the problem is as much tripping as slipping.  I am beginning to look forward to the spring mud...except it's slippery, too.
   I did get my income tax refund today.  Quickly started spending it, too!  Ordered more buttons and some filters for our Berkey water tank.  Should go do some grocery shopping before the next snowstorm (due this afternoon/tonight), too.  Hopefully we can get a couple of bundles of firewood at Tractor Supply.  Last time we tried some guy just in front of me bought the last 12 bundles!!  Got to call and order a tank of fuel oil, too.  See how much fun living in a little house in a little woods can be in the winter! 
   

The Weatherman Is Really Getting To Me

   The weatherman says we're in the middle of a blizzard...whiteouts, high winds, cold temperatures...with 4-8" of snow by the time it's moved on .  I just know it seems to be a summary of our winter so far...lousy weather.  Everything is closed east, west, north, south of us.  The schools were given a free day by the governor to close(!! Unheard of!!) and the towns and villages just followed suit.  I don't know about stores and offices but then I'm not going to go out and investigate, either.   The noon news on TV said there were about 2000 customers in the counties hit (Oneida, Madison, Lewis, Herkimer, Otsego) that were without power.  We're lucky...so far.  I talked to my cousin Ed (because power on his road is always going out) but it's still up although National Grid trucks have been going up and down his road all day.  (Remember the old Glen Campbell song 'Wichita Lineman'?)  I keep looking out the window next to my computer watching the big, old oak trees swaying.  So far, nothing except small branches have come down.  Let's hope that's all that comes down during the rest of this episode.
   I finished my size 6 sweaters yesterday.  No knitting involved, just working in yarn ends and sewing on buttons.  (The other sweater is pink with lavender buttons and flowers) Had some embroidery on the black sheep cardigans (the bk is on the back)

but I can do that in my sleep!  I still want to do another Guernsey vest...in gray, this time...but I'm not racing to Walmart to get the yarn!  I can wait until tomorrow.  I'll go after my INR...if I can get out!!
   I had some sad news this weekend.  My oldest friend died after years of fighting cancer and MS.  She was a couple of years younger than me and we met when my family lived on Dewey Ave in Herkimer across the street from hers.  When we moved up here to the little house in the little woods, she would take the public bus (Central NY Coach Lines, back then) from Herkimer and get off at the florist, cross the highway and walk down the road to our house.  I remember her walking in one time laughing like crazy because she heard someone on the bus say...as she crossed the road...'oh, look, the little girl is going to the cemetery!' (There are 4 cemeteries between our road and the highway.)
  My family took her camping with us.  We even pretended to be asleep in the back seat on the way home from a trip to Canada one time...with a couple of bottles of Canadian Club and several boxes of cigars under us!  For years we laughed about the outhouse door at that camp on Mississippi Lake.  It seemed to sink into the ground more every year!  We were positive one year it wouldn't open any more but before then our neighbors from here had bought a camp down the road up there that had indoor plumbing!  
   My mom was so pleased when my friend asked her to make her wedding dress.  It came out beautiful, too.  My friend and her new husband camped with us, and when their first child was born, the little girl came camping, too, but by then we had bought the camp at Lake Pleasant Park.  My friend was a typical 1st time mother...she even put heavy bath towels over the curtains in the bedroom so the room would be dark enough for the baby to sleep.  (My mom was not pleased.)  But when their son was born, my friend knew the towels over the curtains weren't necessary. One particularly wet summer I remember them pulling into our driveway in a downpour on a Friday night, her rolling down the window and yelling...'well, if you're dumb enought to stay in this weather, we're stupid enough to come up!'  We always had fun.  That's when I learned how to make Italian Fried Chicken...her mother's recipe.  No one could beat her for that!!
   My friend was diagnosed with breast cancer about the same time I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.  It was later learned that she (and a younger sister) carried the mutated gene that made them susceptible to it.  After many years she developed MS.  She remained strong and fought back for a long time but finally cancer won when she was diagnosed with it again last year.  She bravely underwent treatment again but....  There will be a prayer service for her on Saturday but I don't know if we'll be able to go...the weatherman is calling for a 'winter mix' and an 1 1/2 ride in that muck doesn't thrill me.  Jeff says it's up to me.  She'll be buried in Herkimer in the spring.  

It's Still Winter

    I had an  appointment this morning to have my taxes done with the volunteers from AARP at the Ilion Library.  I've been using this service since I worked at the Herkimer Library and have always gotten good service...and a good tax refund.  (This year was no different!)  But I was a little apprehensive about being able to get out of our driveway...with all the snow we've been getting we've been snowed in for 2 to 4 days at a stretch after each storm.  Jeff had some Rx's he had to have refilled, too,  so we decided to try and get out yesterday.  He finally got the walk-behind snow blower running (it needed a couple of shear pins) but the snow pile in front of the car was so heavy and hard...frozen...he had a difficult time getting thru it.  In the end he just drove the Forrester out and in a couple of times and that opened up a path to what our neighbor had cleared earlier.  
   When our neighbor had opened up the road yesterday from his house to the mailbox he didn't turn the blower as he went by our driveway so he added snow to what was already on the ground in front of and on our car.  Jeff was not pleased but that's what the guy does every time he clears the road.  Nice and neighborly, huh?  He keeps saying he's going to go south for the winter...but never does...and if he ever manages to do so Jeff says he's not going to worry about clearing the road all the way down to his house.   I'm not worried about a neighborly war because I don't think he'll ever go south for the winter...it would cost him $$ he doesn't want to part with.  We'll just have to wait and see.  Anyway, we got out and when we came home I backed the Forrester in from the mailboxes to in front of our garage and then back into the space between the house and the garage...like I did after the last storm.  (It worked again and the car ended up in the right spot facing out.)  This morning I drove out without any problems and backed in again from the mailboxes.  This allowed me to widen the tire tracks where the car is parked making it easier to get to and from the car but it was still interesting getting back to the steps.
   The sun is shining and it looks beautiful outside but it is very cold with temperatures only in the teens.  Tomorrow the temperature is suppose to be warmer...in the 40's...with rain, but get cold again for the end of the week.  I think this is the way winter is going to end...but I'll take the end of winter any way I can!! 
    I think it's going to be a good day to stay home and knit.  I want to finish these size 6 sweaters and get their photos posted.  It's all mindless knitting so it should go pretty fast.  Jeff is waiting for a call from the pharmacy that the Rx he needed to have a new 'scrip for is ready so he can go down and pick it up but I think I'll stay home and knit!

Here and There, Somethings and Nothing

     I finally finished my first Guernsey vest.  It's a size 6 and knit in Red Heart's Soft Navy, a very nice wash/dryable acrylic.  I couldn't get the pattern I wanted to use...it was offered on Revelry.com but had been withdrawn...so I decided to patch a pattern together using what was offered.  The smallest sweater that I liked was available in a size 10 and that was way too big but I copied those directions
anyway.  I then combined them with the co/inches/bo numbers for the size 6 pullover pattern I usually use and came up with my own pattern.  It wasn't a difficult pattern to follow but I learned I couldn't count (p3k4p3) across a row, and often ended up backwards (k3p4k3) about half-way around!  I ripped out that row again and again!

I really had to watch what I was doing...and that proved difficult because I couldn't see the stitches that well.  The soft Navy got darker as the nights went on!  But, I persevered and got the vest finished.  I changed the number of repeats here and there and kept measuring my work, trying to keep the vest close to the measurement for a size 6.  I think the vest would
look better on a mannequin or over a white turtleneck shirt.  The designs might show up more that way so I think I may have to come up with something.  But, the next vest will definitely be knit in Gray.
  I was reading the newspaper this morning and saw that the mother of a girl I went to school with had recently died.  I had noticed that my  classmate had not been in any of the photos taken at the 50th reunion held this past summer and posted online, so I read the mother's obit to see what had become of my classmate.  I was surprised, no make that shocked to see that she had died of the same cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, that I had survived.
   I had discussed the possible causes of my Hodgkin's
with my oncologist during my treatment and I had told him about the high rate/wide variety of cancer in our neighborhood.  I told him about the block-long vacant lot that use to be a grocery store/restaurant and the fire that destroyed it.  He agreed that it sounded like a 'viable topic' for a research paper for a graduate degree.  I still think so.  Hodgkin's Lymphoma isn't a rare cancer but it also isn't a partially common one, either.  It seems strange to me that there would be 2 cases 2 blocks apart. Oh, well. That's life, isn't it?  RIP, PLG.
  It's a bright sunny day and I think I'll try to finish one of my Black Sheep sweaters.  I've started to plan my next projects, too.  After the gray Guernsey...or maybe before it, I want to do a baseball hoodie and a Lace and Flowers...maybe in gray with pink flowers and pink buttons. And I think that will be it for my size 6 opening inventory.  I am looking forward to doing some of the smaller sizes...because they work up so fast!!  And there are a couple of other things I'd like to do.  I found a pattern for bath mitts for kids done in cotton and I bought a couple of animal patterns.  And I still have Christmas presents to finish!  Luckily, both of those will go to folks with March birthdays!!

Another Aspect of Living in the Country

   It's a beautiful day to be outside today if you're not starting your journey in our driveway.  It was packed with snow yesterday...the nice, heavy kind that makes great snowmen and snowballs but is a real bitch to walk thru or shovel.  Our neighbor opened the long driveway from the pavement to his garage this morning, clearing the berm that the plows create in the mouth.  We needed bottle water and were getting low on bread so I suggested we go to town after lunch.  Jeff thought about it for awhile and then decided I could probable make it on my own.  I had a bill/payment to mail so I decided I'd try it.  
   I had driven into the space between the house and the garage the day before yesterday...the last time I had gone out...because the driveway was pretty icy and heading in created the shortest route to the steps.  I started the car and cleaned off the hood, found the headlights and dug out  the window wipers.  Unfortunately, only 1 wiper cooperated...the one on the passenger side.  The driver side wiper definitely was not working up to par, so I just turned them off.  Luckily, it was sunny and I didn't need them.  It took half a dozen tries...going backward, then forward before I got the car on to the open driveway.  I was down to the mailboxes before I realized I had forgotten the envelope I wanted to mail!  I took a deep breath and drove back up to the house...well, not exactly up to the house coz I got stuck where I turned off the plowed driveway, slid out of the tire tracks and almost into the pine tree that's there.  I tried to walk up to the house but couldn't stay on my feet!  8" of snow covered our speed skating rink and it wasn't worth trying to walk on it.  I backed out of the snow pile I was in and drove down to the neighbor's to turn around in front of his garage. The payment was already a day late so another day won't make much difference if it didn't get mailed today.
  I decided to skip my trip to the library in Ilion and just go to Walmart.  I kept thinking about getting back into the snug little space between the house and the garage and the more I thought, the more I wanted to get to it.  By the time I got back to our mailboxes I had a plan.
   Now, I'm noted for not being able to back up in a straight line.  For some reason, I find that damn near impossible to do but today I decided if I could ever pull it off it had better be now.  The driveway is cleared nice and wide...probably wide enough for 2 cars to go side by side...so I thought why don't I just back up from the paved road to our garage, turn hard right (backwards) and hope I fall into the tire tracks.  And, by God, I did it!  I put the Forrester in almost the same place it was before I went out except it's facing the other direction! (And on the 1st try!!)  I let out a whoop when I got out of the car and saw how precise I had parked it and the dogs...in the house...heard me and started barking and baying!  I began to unload the groceries and Jeff met me on the stoop and carried them inside.  (Better than no help at all, huh?)
    I had splurged and bought a container of butter pecan ice cream for dessert (Valentine's Day) but decided not to wait and rewarded myself with a bowl when I got inside.  Zoey and Fanny sat by my side waiting for their share, Jeff overwhelmed by all the excitement, went to take a nap.  Now that the house is nice and quiet I think it's time to get back to that Guernsey vest.  Only 2 1/2" or so of straight knitting to go before it's time for the yoke and I'm back to counting stitches.   I definitely think I should have done the first vest in gray instead of soft navy.  Oh, well, it's more than half finished....

Keeping Up To Date

Woke up this morning to...surprise...MORE SNOW!  It looks so lovely falling slowly thru the air in those nice, big flakes.  Visibility still isn't the best and the driveway is filling up fast so I think today will be spent knitting...as usual!  I've got 2 size 6 cardigans about ready for buttons...one is done in Red Heart's Perfectly Pink and the other in Red Heart's Turqua.  My button order arrived on Tuesday so I didn't have any excuse for not sewing on the buttons and finishing those two so I can take some photos but I instead started a sleeveless vest...also a size 6.  It's a Guernsey unisex worked in Red Heart's Soft Navy.  It has taught me that I've forgotten how to count (k3, p4, k3) over and over across a row and I had to rip out almost as much as I knitted! Luckily, that part of the pattern ended several inches ago and it's been smooth knitting for while. When it's time for the yoke it will be back to counting.  I want to do another of these Guernsey vests in gray and I think I should have done that one first!  After the vests I think it will be time for a baseball sweater or two.  And to tell the truth, I can't wait to get back to the smaller size sweaters!! The shop didn't make it into the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce's Hall of Fame, again. We tried but most of the selectees were the 'big boys': Cooperstown Bat Company, Cooperstown Farmer's Market, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Pathfinder Village, Cooperstown Fire Department and Stagecoach Coffee. Hope we're nominated again next year, maybe the 3rd time will be our charm! Thanks to everyone who voted for us.   The hematoma on Fanny's left ear flap has finally started to shrink.  She ripped it open with her toe nail a couple of times and that caused it to bleed but actually it's done what hematoma's are suppose to do...become reabsorbed by the body.  She may always have a 'cauliflower' ear but I don't think it hurts anymore.  When she causes it to bleed I go over it with a wet diaper wipe and rub in some antibiotic cream.  So far, we've held off any infection.  I checked on-line articles and talked with a nurse I know who's dog had the same problem and so far so good!  The risk of infection is actually the major problem with a hematoma so that's what I've tried to avoid.  Fanny also gets a Benadryl at bedtime so she won't be tempted to scratch the ear during the night.  The vet says she's big enough (85-90lbs) that a Benadryl will calm her down without putting her out.  Most hematoma's take up to 6 months to be completely reabsorbed so I think we've got another 3 months to go.  Fanny's ear should be back to normal come Spring. (Oh, the blood stains washed out of the curtains in my room and from all the towels without any problems.  My nurse friend said just to be sure to use cold water.  I'm still not using my new comforter....) Luck must be with us today...the driveway got cleared out already! Wally must really want to go to town or his friends must want to get to their snowmobiles that are stored in his garage.