Sr. Francine Kavanah, FSP

Francine had eight siblings, Frank, Thomas, George, Matthew, Benjamin, Grant, Margaret, and her twin sister, Deanna. She also had two foster sisters, Jeanne and Joan Foley. At the age of two, Francine and her twin sister, Deanna, were adopted by William and Jeanne Ramsey, who provided them with a warm and loving family life in Hastings, NY. It was there that Francine attended St. Matthew’s Elementary School and Hastings High School. After graduating from high school in 1957, Francine entered the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Peekskill, NY and professed her first vows in 1959. In 1986, Francine was one of 112 founding members of the Franciscan Sisters of Peace.

Sister Francine pursued higher education at Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, NY, graduating with a BA degree in Spanish. Later, she studied at William Paterson College where she pursued a Masters Degree in Reading. Later, she was also certified as a Director of Religious Education, receiving a Certificate of Honor for ten years of service in Catechetical Leadership within the Archdiocese of New York.

Throughout her years of ministry, she taught in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia on the elementary level and served as an elementary school Principal both in New Jersey and New York.

It was in 1987 that Sr. Francine became the Director of Religious Education in St. Stephen and Edward’s Parish, Warwick, NY, a ministry that she loved and found most rewarding.

In her later years, Francine ministered as the Activities Director for Villa St. Francis in Peekskill, an independent adult residence for senior women. She often said, “They were an example of how to live and grow old gracefully!”

In 2012, Francine moved to Marian Woods, a collaborative adult care facility for women religious from various communities. While residing there, she continued to serve the adult community in Peekskill until she retired in 2016.

Since the fall of 2020, due to declining health, she was a resident of St. Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, NY where she joined our other sister residents in community. It was there that she befriended several other residents and staff, building relationships and ministering in her own special way with kindness and compassion. There, she was able to create a unique bond with those she encountered, providing them with a listening heart and a peaceful presence.

Francine always hoped to be remembered as a person who was compassionate, kind, caring and joyful, following in the footsteps of St. Francis. Those who knew her would say, “She was indeed!”

A wake service will be held at Marian Woods Chapel on Thursday, January 2, 2025 (3:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m.). Her life will be celebrated at a Mass of Resurrection, Friday, January 3, 2025 (10:00 a.m.) at Marian Woods Chapel, Hartsdale, NY.

Interment will take place at Mount Hope Cemetery, Hastings, NY on Friday, January 3, 2025.