Doris Ann Franco

Doris Ann Franco, 81, of Mt Pleasant, wife to Arthur C Franco of 28 years, entered into eternal rest on September 24, 2019, surrounded by her family.

Born on July 19, 1938 in Passaic, New Jersey; Doris Ann was the daughter of the late Michael J Bialek and Helen Arvary.

Doris Ann graduated from Passaic General Hospital Nursing School in 1959 and later achieved her BSN from University of Bridgeport in 1983. She was a surgical nurse for the heart valve replacement team at The National Institutes of Health prior to marrying the love of her life, Arthur C Franco in 1964. He nicknamed her "The Polish Princess", a name which she was very proud of and loved. They lived in New York City before moving to Rutherford, NJ in 1965.

Doris was very passionate about nursing and it was important to her to remain active in the nursing field after having her 3 children. She worked weekend and holiday shifts in the Emergency Room at Passaic General Hospital and later, after moving to Wilton, CT in 1976, she continued to do so at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, CT. Being an adrenaline junkie, she enjoyed the challenges of the 11 PM-7 AM shift, especially on full moons and holidays; regaling her family with crazy stories of the E.R. on Sunday mornings before church.

Doris joined Wilton Home Health Services in the early 1980s, where she was the school nurse for Miller-Driscoll Elementary school for a short time, before spending the remainder of her career as the school nurse at Wilton High School, retiring in 2000. She was an active member of the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps and was selected as the RN representative for Connecticut for a medical tour of the USSR in 1981.

While in New Jersey she was President of the Junior Women's Club of Rutherford New Jersey. Doris Ann was an active member of the Fairfield/Westchester Chapter of The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Upon moving to Mount Pleasant, SC in 2001, Doris was a parishioner at Stella Maris Catholic Church on Sullivans Island and a member of the East Cooper Women's Club and Women Who Wine Mount Pleasant. She enjoyed her weekly volunteer shift at East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO), and also played both Canasta and Mahjong weekly.

Doris traveled extensively after the death of her husband. She sea kayaked in Costa Rica; hiked the fjords of Scandinavia, the Great Wall of China and Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain; attended Italian Cooking schools on the Amalfi Coast and in Tuscany; visited the Galapagos Islands, Indonesia, The Spice Islands, Australia, New Zealand and enjoyed multiple barge trips in France. She and her frequent travel partner, Marian Mench, were 'birthday buddies' and celebrated their July birthdays with copious amounts of wine in many of these exotic locations.

Predeceased by her husband in 1993, Doris Ann is survived by her daughter, Mariana Hall (Randy) of Charleston, SC; son Michael C. Franco (Joanne) of Norwalk, CT and daughter, Moniz Franco (Andrew Stess) of Petaluma, CA; her grandchildren Finnley and Minna Stess of Petaluma, CA; her brother, Michael M. Bialek (Naomi Berger) of Narragansett, RI and her nephews, Mick Bialek and Colin Bialek of Narragansett, RI.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, October 5th, from 10 AM - 12 PM at Collins Funeral Home, 92 East Avenue Norwalk CT.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 1 PM at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 229 Danbury Rd, Wilton, CT 06897.

The burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery, 165 Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT, where Doris will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Arthur.

The family will receive guests following the burial at Our Lady of Fatima Church Hall.

A Memorial Service will take place in the Charleston, SC area at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Doris Ann`s memory may be sent to The Parkinson's Foundation at www.parkinson.org.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at www.mcalister-smith.com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister- Smith Funeral Home, Mt. Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Rd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, (843) 884-3833.