Obituary of Frances Liddy
Frances Richardson Carswell Liddy of Millington, NJ passed away on August 18, 2026 surrounded by her family. Fran was born at home on Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ on January 20, 1929 to Arthur and Anna Mae Carswell, in the house her father built. In spite of losing her mother at a very young age, Frances had many wonderful memories of her childhood in Basking Ridge surrounded by extended family and a long list of beloved pets. After graduating from Morristown High School, Fran worked at a local bank where she met a handsome and charming young electrician and her future husband, Richard A. Liddy, to whom she was married for 44 years until his untimely death while firefighting in 1994.
Together, Dick and Fran raised their five children, moving from Bernardsville, NJ to Basking Ridge, NJ. When their youngest reached school age, Fran went to work as a morning and afternoon school crossing guard and also worked in Cedar Hill, William Annin and Ridge High school cafeterias. The faculty of William Annin especially loved Fran’s homemade soup specials when Fran ran that kitchen.
Fran’s creativity reached far and wide from sewing her children’s clothes, knitting Barbie dresses, crocheting afghans, sewing the Bernards High School cheering uniforms, creating a life sized mannequin for the Basking Ridge Fire Company to use in their firefighter contests, plus cooking, gardening, ceramics, quilting, and even nurturing and raising orphaned wildlife and then releasing them back to nature.
Along with their love of family, Dick and Fran had a special affection for summering in Maine and in 1977 bought their beloved Maine camp. Summers at camp with their children and grandchildren were the things dreams are made of.
Fran was a girl scout troop leader, a member of the Bernardsville and Basking Ridge Fire Company auxiliaries, a member of the Basking Ridge garden club, The Quilt Makers, and volunteered at the VNA rummage sale for many, many years. She loved joining the neighborhood Sewing Club who provided all of their families with wonderful get togethers full of friends, food and fun.
Along with her parents and husband, Fran was predeceased by her sister Ruth Smith of Bedminster, NJ and brother Arthur Carswell of Belvidere, NJ. Fran leaves behind her five children, Richard Liddy, Jr., (Maria) of San Jose, CA., Susan Tripp of Ellsworth, ME, Carol Liddy of Millington, NJ, Patricia Stonaker (Joseph) of Bath, PA and Nancy Ignaut (Robert) of Phillipsburg, NJ. along with her seven grandchildren, Wendy, Holly, Cynthia, Benjamin, Caitlyn, Kelly and Sean, and her three great-grandchildren, Alexander, Henry and Olivia. Fran was especially fond of her pets over the years who were also an important part of her family and loved dearly.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Basking Ridge Fire Company in Fran’s memory. At the family’s request, services were held privately.