Henry Gardner France, 97, of Milford passed away in his home on September 26, 2018. He was born on March 23, 1921 in Portland, CT, son of the late Bertram and Katherine France. He was happily married for 69 years to the late Mildred LeDoux France. Henry proudly served in the U.S. Navy aboard LST 478 during WWII. In his career, he was employed as an electrical engineer for such companies as General Electric, Avco and Valve Corporation of America. He also worked at Yale University in the Radio Astronomy Dept. Henry will be remembered as an accomplished artist for his paintings of seascapes and local scenes which were displayed in a number of locations over the years. An active member of the community, he belonged to the Milford Arts Council for many years, where he helped design and build the prototype for “the submarine art” exhibition in downtown Milford in 1996. He also was a member of the United Presbyterian Church of Milford and the Milford Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and participated in many of their services and fundraising activities. But most of all Henry enjoyed spending time with his family especially visits with the “kids” – the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Henry will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. He is survived by his devoted children Leslie Donnelly, Stuart (Shari) France, and Phillip (Claire) France, his grandchildren Kevin, Kerry, Melissa, Jacob, Tara, Phillip, and Patrick, his great-grandchildren Nathan, Jillian, Ryan, Alex, Jamie, and Frederick. A service in celebration of Henry’s life will be held Sat. Oct. 6, 2018 at 11 a.m. in the United Presbyterian Church located at 109 Seaside Avenue Milford, CT. Interment in Kings Highway Cemetery, Milford, with full military honors will take place on Sat. Oct. 13 at 10 am. Smith Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer society.

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