TOLLAND, Frances E. (Dervan) Of Natick, Shapleigh, ME, and Green Valley, AZ formerly of Needham, passed away suddenly on September 22, 2015. Beloved wife of Fredrick P. Tolland for close to 52 years and loving mother of Eric M. Tolland of Natick and David W. Tolland of Needham. Daughter of the late William and Grace Dervan. She is also survived by her sister Marie A. Martin and her brother-in-law Richard J. Martin of Sharon, and by her three nieces Ilse M. O’Brien of Holliston, Christine M. Waters of Newbury Park, CA, and Deborah E. Martin of Mansfield.
Born in 1938, Fran graduated from Holy Cross Academy of Brookline in 1956 and Boston College School of Nursing in 1960, where she was a member of the National Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau. She went on to Boston University receiving her Master’s Degree in Nursing in 1962, and earning an Ed.D in Education in 1989. She taught nursing at Children’s Hospital in Boston and Middlesex Community College in Lowell and Bedford.
Fran was a gifted painter. She enjoyed sailing and kayaking on the lake at her home in Maine. She loved to travel, meet new people, taste unknown foods, and experience the local traditions. Fran was smart, curious, a lifelong learner, and had an insatiable appetite for knowledge. She was a member of the American Nurses Association, and the Treasure Island Landowner’s Association. Over the years, Fran was a volunteer at GVS Community Food Bank, The League of Women Voters, and worked with Voice of the Faithful. She was an advocate for women’s rights, and contributed generously toward numerous organizations and charities in support of women’s issues.
Visiting hours at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Ave., NEEDHAM, Friday, Sept. 25 from 5:00-8:00pm. Funeral from the funeral home on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 9:00am followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, Needham at 10:00am. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Burial to follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Needham.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in Fran’s memory to GVS Community Food Bank, 250 E. Continental, Green Valley, AZ 85614, https://www.communityfoodbank.org/green-valley-sahuarita.