Gladys Vireta Francis was born on December 15, 1927 in the Parish of Manchester, Jamaica, the third of eight children of Cyril and Louise Richards.  She attended Garlogie Primary School and later moved to Kingston in search of better employment opportunities.

She eventually met and married Charles Francis, a Factory Manager and together they raised four children, Janet, Maureen, Paul and Clive.

For over 20 years she worked at J. Wray and Nephew Limited as a Machine Operator and she retired in just in time to take care of her elderly mother.  When her younger brother fell ill a few years later, she cared for him until his passing.

In 2016 she emigrated to the United States where she lived briefly in New Jersey before finally settling in Florida.

Gladys Francis was a remarkable woman who taught her children the virtues of honesty and respect not by coercion, but by example.  She was warm, generous and compassionate and loved her family and friends with boundless passion.

When she knew the end was near she accepted her fate with grace, bidding farewell to as many of her family and friends as she was physically able to, and knowing full well that her purpose in this life had been fulfilled.

She leaves behind daughter Maureen, sons Paul and Clive, daughter-in-law Yvonne, grand-daughter Kayla, sisters Florence and Olga, countless nieces and nephews and an eternity of friends to celebrate her extraordinary life.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to The Lakeside Church

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