Frances O'Toole

Frances (Ford) O'Toole, a longtime Cohasset resident, died peacefully Monday morning, Dec. 10, 2012. Raised in the Boston area, she was the beloved daughter of late William and Mary (Healy) Ford. Graduate of Regis College, she majored in sociology and became a dedicated social worker on the staff of Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC). She married John Francis O'Toole of Somerville in 1952, and a few years later they built their house in Cohasset. A lifelong lover of flowers and gardens, she and John spent three years in Japan, traveling often throughout the Far East. She was known for teaching of Ikebana and wonderful floral arrangements which were presented statewide, including the Boston Flower Show and Museum of Fine Arts. She is survived by her sister, Loretta Goldrick and her husband Thomas of Newport, R.I.; her nieces, Susan Collins and her husband Gregory of Brookline, Laura Manning and her husband Thomas of Hingham, Heather Szczepiorkowski and her husband Zbigniew of Hanover, N.H.; and her nephews, Christopher Barrett and his wife Sandra of Marlborough, John Barrett of Duxbury and his wife Ellen, Mark Dolphin of Cohasset, William Dolphin and his wife Alison of California, Peter Dolphin and his wife Claudia of Hingham and David Dolphin of Portsmouth, N.H.; and many great-nieces and great-nephews. A Mass of Christian burial was held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, at St. Anthonys Church, Cohasset. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Glastonbury Abbey, 16 Hull St., Hingham, MA 02043.