Obituary of Dennis Francis

DENNIS I. FRANCIS, 72, of JACKSON, died peacefully in his sleep Monday, Dec. 3, at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. He lost a hard-fought battle to cancer. Born in Port Maria, St. Mary, Jamaica, West Indies, he graduated from Calabar High School and emigrated to the U.S in 1956 to further his studies and received a degree from Brooklyn College, New York. Mr. Francis was a career diplomat employed by the Jamaican government beginning in 1963 at the Consulate General of Jamaica and at the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations, New York. He was a delegate to the U.N. Committee on the Law of the Sea and worked tirelessly for the successful establishment of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1994. He resided in Manalapan for 31 years prior to moving to Jackson in 2000. He enjoyed engaging in political discussions, fishing, traveling, gardening, furniture restoration and jazz. Mr. Francis was predeceased by his parents, Ivanhoe and Lurline Francis. He is survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Jean; two sons and their wives, Derek and Randi of Princeton, and Ian and Carolyn of Parker, Colo.; two grandchildren, Morgan and Evan of Princeton; his siblings, Dorothy "Peggy" Haughton and her husband Keith of Port St. Lucie, Fla., Gary and John Francis, Ann Duggan, Kay Daley and her husband Gary of London, England, Jacqueline Tomlinson, Claudia Shuriah and her husband Devon, Ruth Wallace and her husband Murvin of Toronto, Canada, and Morris Francis and his wife Karen of Katy, Texas; and a host of caring and supportive relatives and friends. Cremation will be private. The family is requesting that memorial contributions be made to CentraState Healthcare Foundation, 916 Route 33, Suite 6, Freehold, NJ 07728-8450 or Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, P.O. Box 414238 Boston, MA 02241-4238. Arrangements are by Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, Freehold Township. For condolence messages for the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.