http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/09-05/09-25-05/zzzddobi.htm#XINDEX4 FRANKLIN J. GRACE   ROXBURY -- Franklin J. Grace, 61, of New Bedford, died Friday, Sept. 23, 2005, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Roxbury after a courageous battle with cancer. A lifelong resident of New Bedford, he was the son of John G. Grace of New Bedford and the late Katherine (Fonseca) Andrade. He was a communicant of Our Lady of the Assumption Church. Mr. Grace was a pipefitter with Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 51 for more than 30 years, retiring in 2002. A Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, he received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnamese Service Medal with one star, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal and the Rifle Marksman badge. Mr. Grace was a member of the Cape Verdean-American Veterans Association. He had been a coach for Little League baseball. An avid sports fan, he especially enjoyed football. Survivors include his father; a son, Matthew Grace of Dartmouth; two sisters, Donna Beverly of New Bedford and Wendy Barros and her husband, John, of Dartmouth; five brothers, Henry "Ricky" Grace, and his wife, Brenda, Manuel Andrade Jr., Donald Andrade, and Warren Andrade, all of New Bedford, and Stanley J. Grace, and his wife, Ifeta, of Mount Clemens, Mich.; his wife, Lisa (Silva) Grace of Dartmouth; and several nieces and nephews. He was the stepson of the late Manuel Andrade. His funeral Mass will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Our Lady of the Assumption Church. Burial with Military Honors will be in Rural Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. |