Biography of Francis Fleury Atkinson

When I was growing up, Nana was a robust woman and was exceptionally strong.

In her youth she told me she cut a finger off a friend with an ax on a dare.

She only had a 4 th grade education but was self-taught and was very bright.

Dad, Mom and my 3 brothers lived with Nana and Pa Atkinson at 7 Maple Terrace, Belmont until 1951. We would spend many if not most weekends there and had many Thanksgivings and every Christmas at her house.

Nanny was always hand braiding rag rugs, sewing, knitting, and hand crocheting doilies.

She loved to play Scrabble and said she never took a drink in her life. She always smoked Pall Malls.  She was a great cook, baker, and flower gardener.

She taught my brother Rod how to refinish furniture (most of which Rod took to clean - re: stole! 

He continued this “refinishing” practice with Moms antiques!-she said it was nice to occasionally go to his house to “visit her stuff”) They are still at his house being cleaned.

Nanny taught her 4 grandsons Ricky, Roddy Rocky, and Randy how to swim at Brant Rock.

We used to go out onto Brant Rock itself for fun; picnics, sailing little boats etc, and she would actually let us swim back from the tip of the Rock to the shore (a several hundred yard swim) under her watchful eyes. This was when I was about 8 years old, which would make Randy about 3. 

We found out when Nana was dying, that she never really knew how to swim herself. 

She was actually terrified of the water but she said matter of factly that she wouldn't have hesitated to save us if there was any problem.

In her later years, Nana was in and out of the nursing home on Coolidge Hill Road in Watertown for last 10 years of her life. 

She was always making little ornaments for the great grandchildren, knitting and trying to crochet with her rheumatoid arthritis stricken hands.

She had several heart attacks and suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis. 

She was a Congregationalist, going to the Waverly Congregationalist church where my grandfathers brother Harvey preached.

Nanny was fiercely protective of each of us but in truth my brother Rocky was her favorite.