Edith F. (Henderson) French

GANSEVOORT – Edith F. (Henderson) French, 89, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend passed away on Thursday, June 11, 2015.

Born on February 17, 1926 in Gansevoort, she was the daughter of the late Oliver and Hazel Henderson.  Edith was raised on her family’s farm and lived most of her life on the West River Road.  She loved being on the Hudson River enjoying the boats, the geese, her yard and gardens.

Edith graduated from Fort Edward High School and worked at Sandy Hill Iron and Brass as a bookkeeper.  She married the late William “Bill” French on July 12, 1947 and together they raised their three children.

Edith and Bill owned and operated the Mobil Station on Main Street in Hudson Falls for 16 years.  Later, she became a teacher’s aide for BOCES, retiring at the age of 85.  Edith developed many close relationships with students and staff.  She was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church of Hudson Falls, serving as a Sunday school teacher and member of the Board of Trustees.  Edith truly lived her Christian faith in word and deed.

She was a hardworking woman with many talents.  Edith enjoyed sewing, selling Sarah Coventry, making beautiful cakes, taking and sharing photographs, various crafts and canning the annual harvest.  But what she loved most was spending time with her family and many friends.  Edith always remembered everyone’s birthday or anniversary with a specially selected card and a treasure she had discovered that was made “just for you.”

Edith was predeceased by her daughter Nancy Lee Ashcroft and her infant granddaughters Baby Girl French and Heather French.

Survivors include her children Glenda and Richard Hastings, Jeffrey and Kathy French, her son-in-law Lawrence Ashcroft and her brother Howard Henderson.  Her grandchildren Gregory Amorosi, Stacey Amorosi and Micah Sakata, Melanie and Jeffrey Schraver, Chad and Keri St. John, Timothy St. John, Jessica St. John, Jeffrey and Lena French, Sara and Ron King, and Larry and Keri Ashcroft brought her great joy.  Edith is also survived by her beloved twenty-two great grandchildren and her great-great granddaughter Zoe.  She treasured a very special relationship with the Wright Family and truly loved all of her nieces and nephews.  She was known and loved in return by many as their dear Aunt Edith.

Friends may call from 4 to 7 PM, Friday, June 19, at the Carleton Funeral Home, Inc., 68 Main Street in Hudson Falls, New York.

A funeral service will be conducted Saturday, June 20 at 11 AM at the First Baptist Church on Main Street in Hudson Falls.

Burial services will be private at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Fort Edward Rescue Squad, Inc., P.O. Box 226, Fort Edward, New York, 12828