NEW BEDFORD — Sheila (Skelly) Frothingham, died Monday, July 12, 2010, after a brief hospital stay. She was the wife of the late William Rotch Frothingham, who died in 2004.
She was born in Manchester, England on October 17, 1927, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Skelly. As a child during WW II, she was evacuated into the countryside to escape the bombing with her sister and four brothers, one of whom was her twin. Back in London, the family lived through the Blitz. Sheila attended Loreto College in Manchester.
At age 20, she emigrated to America, settling in Rochester, New York, with her aunt, where she worked for Kodak mostly as a model for promotional and marketing material. There she met William Frothingham, and they married at Saint Paul's Church in Wellesley, Mass in 1954. Soon after, they moved to Greenfield, Mass, where she was active with local theatre groups, and then to Needham, Ma., where she worked at the Needham Public Library for years. Most recently she lived in Nonquitt and Padanaram. In 2007, at age 80, she spent 2 weeks visiting all her relatives in London, Manchester and Birmingham, England. The family spent summers in Nonquitt, Mass.
A volunteer, she was active in the New Bedford Garden Club, the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, the Conservation Commission in Nonquitt and the Mothers Club of New Bedford. She was an avid supporter of both the opera and symphony, attending many performances every fall season in Boston. Knitting and crocheting were great hobbies. In addition, she also enjoyed tennis and swimming as well as attending her children's sporting events all over New England.
Survivors include two sons, William Rotch Frothingham Jr., and his wife, Mary of Glenview, Ill., and Anthony Skelly Frothingham of South Dartmouth; her daughter, Pamela Carr Frothingham of South Dartmouth; her siblings, Leslie Skelly and Monica Flanagan; two grandchildren, William Maxwell Frothingham and Emily Louise Frothingham; and many nieces and nephews; and grand nieces and grand nephews.
Her Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, July 17, 2010, at 10 A.M., at St. Mary's Church, South Dartmouth. It is suggested remembrances be made in her name to the Rotch Jones Duff Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford, Ma. 02740. Burial is private for her family.
Arrangements are with the Wilson Chapel, 479 County St., New Bedford, Ma. 02740