Obituary of Frances Bell Tomany

Frances Bell Tomany passed away at the age of 94 on November 23, 2013. Frances was born on June 22, 1919 in The Bronx, New York to Catherine and Michael Bell. She spent a wonderful childhood growing up in The Bronx and she loved entertaining her family by telling stories and reminiscing about this special time in her life. Frances would always proudly announced that she was originally from The Bronx, New York. She married James P. Tomany, and they lived in New York City while he completed his education at Cooper Union. They eventually moved to Darien, CT where they resided for almost 23 years. Here they raised their family which included "the twins", Marilyn and Thomas; middle daughter, Laura, and finally Judith. Frances then moved to Southern California in 1970 and lived in El Segundo. She eventually moved to her beloved Pacific Grove in 1981 with her companion, Robert L. Lanham, where she happily spent her next 32 years. Frances was a savvy business woman who started two travel agencies on her own, The Darien House of Travel in Darien and Beach Travel in Hermosa Beach, CA. While owning and operating both agencies she truly caught the "travel bug" and visited many places around the world. Frances especially loved visiting the Orient and Germany and her favorite city to play in was Vancouver, British Columbia. When Frances moved to the Monterey Peninsula she left the travel business and worked as an accountant for the McGilloway firm of Monterey until her retirement. Frances lived a full life. She was an amazing cook and will be well remembered for her handmade raviolis, pot roast dinners, homemade jams, and her Christmas morning New England country style breakfast. She would often read cookbooks like they were novels. She extensively remodeled three homes and often said she was a frustrated architect. She was also an avid gardener. Frances had to have her newspaper every morning at breakfast, a habit she claimed was created when growing up in New York. Frances loved politics and was always ready for a spirited debate about the latest issues. Frances is survived by her brother, Edward Bell of Wyomissing, PA; her children, Thomas (Pat) Tomany of Scarborough, ME, Marilyn (Steven) Van den Bogaerde of Marina, CA, Laura (Stephen) D'Andrea of Oceanside, CA and Judith (Michael) Goldman of Pacific Grove, CA. She is also survived by six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. We would like to thank all the caregivers at Visionary Health Care Services at the Hacienda Carmel in Carmel Valley, Cynthia Healy and her staff at Security Financial Advisors, and the staff at Heartland Hospice for their excellent care of our mother. At her request there will be no memorial service. At a later date her ashes will be spread off the coast in Pacific Grove, CA. Frances always claimed to have lived in the two most beautiful spots in the world, New England and the Monterey Peninsula. In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to the Heartland Hospice, 2511 Garden Rd., Suite A250, Monterey, CA 93940-5331 or to a charity of your choice . Frances will be greatly missed by her family and by all of those who knew her. Hers was a life well lived.