Loving husband, father and grandfather
Francis L. Barton Sr., 80, a long-time resident of Middlebury, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, at St. Mary’s Vitas Inpatient Hospice Unit after a long, full life. He was born in Waterbury Sept. 19, 1934, to William and Mary (Lynch) Barton.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth (Farrell); son, Francis L. Barton Jr. and his wife, Mary (Greene), of Middlebury; daughter, Theresa A. (McDaniel) Prescott and her husband, Alan Prescott, of Greenfield, Mass.; son, Patrick C. and his wife, Nancy (Brown), of Middlebury; son, Timothy L. Barton; former son-in-law, James McDaniel; grandchildren Ryan and Joshua McDaniel and Francis III and Sean Barton. He also is survived by his brothers, Thomas Barton and his wife, Rosemary, of Bradenton, Fla. and Richard Barton and his wife, Florence, of Waterbury; and his sisters, Major JoAnne Barton, retired U.S. Army nurse, of El Paso, Texas, and Sister Teresa Barton of the Congregation of Notre Dame, Bronx, N.Y. He also leaves behind many cousins, nieces and nephews and his very close friend, William Coss, and his family. He was predeceased by a brother, William, and his wife, Judy.
Francis served on active duty with the U. S. Army from April 1954 to March 1956, stationed in Germany, during the Korean conflict. Upon returning home, he married his wife, Ruth; they were married for 58 years in August 2014. His next 35 years were spent as an employee of the Southern New England Telephone Company. Once retired, he spent the next few years helping his son develop his real estate business. Francis’s final years were spent watching his grandchildren growing up.
Francis was the Scoutmaster for Middlebury Troop 444 from January 1967 to October 1971, a member of Father Loftus Council No. 3992 until 1981 and Past Grand Knight from 1969 to 1970, a real estate agent with Action Realty, a part-time Middlebury police officer, one of the founding members of the first Middlebury Police Commission, and an usher at St. John of the Cross Church. He helped provide meals for the poor through the Waterbury Pioneers.
Francis also arranged and ran many fundraisers for ARC the organization for special needs children in the East end of Waterbury. He was able to get Paul Newman to donate his spaghetti sauce for the fundraisers. Francis also honed his culinary skills as a cook at Preston Hill Inn, serving many a breakfast to his loyal breakfast group. He was a past member of the Middlebury Conservation Commission and a very active member when involved with Middlebury Democratic Town Committee.
A celebration of Francis’s life will held Saturday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. with a Mass of Christian burial at St. John of the Cross Church at 1321 Whittemore Road in Middlebury and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) at 91 Golden Hill St. in Waterbury.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions or donations to the Middlebury Senior Center, 1172 Whittemore Road, Middlebury, CT. 06762
Eastside Memorial A Casey Family Funeral Home and Tribute Center has been entrusted to assist the family with arrangements. For more details, or to send an online condolence, visit www.eastsidememorial.com.
