Anne Freeman Giraud of Providence and Matunuck, Rhode Island passed away peacefully on July 14th at the age of 106 years.
She is survived by her children, Roger F. Giraud, of Providence, Hayward P. Giraud (Anne), of Seattle, Stephen B. Giraud (Kate), of Pembroke, GA, and Deborah D. Giraud (Bruce) of Trinidad, CA. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of seventy-four years, George T. Giraud, and her son, G. Thomas Giraud, Jr. (Ann Piascik). She was the stepdaughter of Hayward T. Parsons.
She was the proud grandmother of Elizabeth P. Giraud, Hayward P. Giraud, Jr., Seth and Suzannah McFarland, and Nicole and Rabbit Giraud. Anne was to be a great grandmother in a matter of weeks, an event that gave her great pleasure and excitement.
Anne was born in Washington, D.C. in 1919 to Roger Morse Freeman and Mary Bradstreet Freeman. The family was living in Washington at a time when her father’s engineering firm was overseeing construction projects in West Virginia.
Upon the premature death of her husband in 1925, her mother returned with Anne and her brother, Roger M. Freeman, Jr., to the Bradstreet Homestead in Thomaston, CT. to live with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. These family ties endured for the rest of her life. In the early 1930’s her grandfather, John R. Freeman, enticed her mother to relocate her family to Providence, R.I. by building a home for them. This was the beginning of her lifelong friendships with her Freeman aunts, uncles and fourteen first cousins.
In Providence she attended Wheeler School and, after a year at Smith College, matriculated at Brown University, Class of 1942. At Brown she met the love, of her life, George T. Giraud: they were married after graduation shortly before her husband joined the Navy for officer training school and three years of service in the South Pacific. During the war she taught at the Moses Brown School.
After the war they settled in California and started their family before returning to Rhode Island in the early nineteen fifties.
Anne was gifted with endless energy and perpetual optimism. An extravert, she made friends easily, often and everywhere. That, combined with a broad range of interests, was the foundation for her love of life. She loved music, art and nature. She always managed to stay fully engaged in the community as an active participant with her husband: they were devoted to the Central Congregational Church, and were active in the Shakespeare Society, and the Brown Club of RI. Both loved to travel and explore.
Her personal interests were pursued through active memberships in The Pottery and Porcelain Club, The Wednesday Club, the Colonial Dames and the Smith Hill Community Center. She loved literature: she majored in literature in college and never stopped taking advantage of the resources provided at the Providence Athenaeum. Even into her nineties she was always preparing for the next book club meeting.
She had a long and happy life which was shared with many, many friends, family and relatives. She lived with very traditional beliefs and values: one could say she was a good member of the much larger community commonly referred to as The Greatest Generation.
In lieu of flowers, a gift to the Providence Atheneum would be appreciated.
A service is planned for Saturday, July 26th at the Swan Point Cemetery Chapel at 10:00 AM.
All are welcome.
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