Francis Chisholm
East Lyme — Francis Chisholm entered into rest Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
He is survived by his spouse, Wayne Shelton of East Lyme; son Colin Chisholm of Henderson, Nev.; daughters Jennifer Chisholm of Portland, Ore., and Amy Chisholm of Palm Desert, Calif.; sisters Marilyn Shaw and Patricia Chisholm of Everett, Mass.; and grandson Jack Ryan of Portland, Ore.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Colin and Marie Chisholm, originally of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Frank was born in Malden, Mass., on Jan. 26, 1937. He grew up in Everett, where his father owned a barber shop. He spent many summers with relatives in Nova Scotia. In 1954, he graduated from Malden Catholic High School. Frank completed his undergraduate degree at Boston College, Class of 1959, and attended Boston State College, where he earned a teaching certificate, followed by Northeastern University, where he earned a master’s degree in English in 1963. While working at Northeastern University, he met Mary T. Dawson of Malden, Mass. (now Henderson, Nev.), and they married and had three children.
He worked as a teacher for many years at colleges and universities around the country and continued his own education at Ball State University. He developed an interest in alternative energy sources and subsequently became a training specialist in the nuclear industry. Frank held positions at Shoreham, River Bend, CT Yankee and at the Los Alamos National Labs, Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility. As a young man, Frank also served his country in the U.S. Army Reserves and attained the rank of specialist fourth class.
Frank’s parents imparted to him a love of music — especially folk and gospel and his own wonderful bass voice. Beginning in his boyhood home and continuing through his adult life, he was always singing and dancing and, over the years, he participated in several choral groups including the local group, Capella Cantorum.
Whether camping with his young kids, hiking with his dogs, riding his motorcycle through the mountains and canyons in New Mexico or working on his home, Frank loved the outdoors. He also believed in giving back where he served on the board of Alliance for Living in New London and volunteered as a teacher of adult literacy and computer skills here he won their coveted Positive Empowerment Award in 2001.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Thomas Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 48 Grand St., Niantic. The family will receive friends at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, kindly make donations in Frank’s memory to Alliance for Living or the Waterford Animal Shelter.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.neilanfuneralhome.com.