Frances M
. Candrella, 89 of Douglassville, PA. formerly of Warminster, PA, died Sunday May 22, 2022, at Reading Hospital, Reading, Pa. Born in Brooklyn NY, Fran was the daughter of Philip B. and Domenica “Minnie” (Carlisi) Battaglia.
The youngest of three children she lost her father at 9 years old, but spent time with her beloved Grandmother and namesake, Francesa. Consequently, she became a bridge across generations, bringing family stories from her New York childhood to life and in vivid detail.
She met her husband Joe when he was taking baby photos of a younger cousin, they soon married and after a year as a Marine’s wife in California, they returned to Brooklyn and started a family. Baby photography then took the family to Pennsylvania, and Warminster, where she and sister Bea, with brother-in-law Jack and daughter Janet bought homes and settled in.
Fran could cook, decorate, clean, sew, paint, remodel, repurpose, design and craft with the best. Friends and neighbors knew that her advice on all things style, whether dress pattern, knitting project or house paint was always thoughtful and generously shared. Once her children were older, it was just that attention to detail that led her to a career as an automotive title clerk, learning and re-learning computer programs and PennDOT regulations when most folks were looking for an easier time. Fran was always smiling, energetic and unstoppable.
In 2019, she and Joe, relocated to Douglassville, Pa. They would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in January.
Surviving along with husband Joe are her children: Joseph J. and wife Eileen, Robert K., Crislynn Malamut, widow of Steve, and Kelly Heffner and husband Thomas. She is also survived by her sister Bea Orlando, and her beloved nieces and nephews of the Holmes, Battaglia, Parziale, Scala and Halmos Families.
The list of those she was always the happiest with were her children, grand, great, and even the regular ones. To know Grandma was to feel the love. Grandchildren: Josh, Luke, Zach, Lina, Nick, Clint, Joe, Amber, Justin, Adam, and Larry. Great-grandchildren: Valentina, Lydia, James, Rohan, Miina, Natalie, Casey, Ava, and Chase.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Saturday June 4, 2022, at Immaculate Conception RC Church, 905 Chestnut St. Douglassville, Pa 19518 with the Mass to follow at 11:00 AM.
Memorial contributions can be made to: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Make a Wish Foundation or Feeding America.org.