L. Carmen Froude

L. Carmen Froude (nee Ouimet), age 87, of Wayne, passed away at her home on Saturday, March 7, 2020, while in the loving and caring support of her family.

Carmen was born and raised until the age of ten in Massena, NY, a town just south of the border between the United States and Canada. Because of this close proximity to her Canadian neighbors to the north, Carmen grew up speaking French as her primary language. In 1942, her family moved to Hoboken, NJ, a place where much was being done to support the efforts of World War II by so many of U.S. Citizenry, and this was something near to her family’s hearts.

After graduating from St. Michael’s High School in Union City, Carmen continued her education at the Jersey City Medical Center School of Nursing. She studied for several years to become a licensed Registered Nurse. Her first job was caringly offering her skills as a labor and delivery nurse with the Margaret Hague Medical Center as part of the Jersey City Medical Center. Carmen held this position for several years, ultimately stepping away to focus on raising her five children, but she always kept close ties with the medical center by serving as the secretary and treasurer for the nursing school’s alumni association for over thirty years.

Carmen had the good fortune of meeting her husband Edmund Froude through one of her classmates in nursing school who happened to be married to Ed’s brother. Their first date was set up by that classmate and it took place at a dinner dance in commemoration of the Jersey City Medical Center’s fiftieth anniversary. As Ed explained, “we danced a lot that night!” They ended up dating for about a year at which time Carmen decided it was time for marriage. After a trip with a family heirloom diamond to a local Jersey City jeweler to have the diamond set in a ring, Carmen and Ed set a date and exchanged their wedding vows before God, family and friends on Saturday, June 27, 1959 at Carmen’s home parish – St. Peter and Paul R.C. Church in Jersey City. They celebrated with a reception at a Journal Square hotel before setting off for a honeymoon to Bermuda.

Carmen and Ed’s first home together was in a house on Virginia Avenue in Jersey City. They stayed there for a short time before purchasing a brand new home in a recent development of the then-sleepy town called Wayne. Carmen and Ed were blessed with five beautiful children and, while they were growing up, Carmen poured herself into their care and nurture. She volunteered at their schools by serving wherever needed including as a member of the PTA and even for a time as the president. Once her children were old enough, she returned to the workplace at nearby State Farm Insurance Company in Wayne where she was everyone’s favorite nurse until choosing to retire in 1994 so that she and Ed could spend more time together.

Thanks to her warm, energetic spirit and a constant willingness to serve others, Carmen enjoyed a large circle of friends. From the moment she and Ed put down roots in Wayne, Carmen got involved as a parishioner at Our Lady of the Valley Church. She was involved in various ministries and activities of the church including organizing the annual blood drive and serving as a Eucharistic Minister. In her spare time she also volunteered to teach classes to Licensed Practical Nurses and when her children were young, she would take them to summer camp and serve as the camp nurse at Bear Mountain through the Hackensack YMCA.

If shopping could be considered a profession, Carmen would have made the all-star team every year. She had a keen sense for a bargain and she was shopping at outlets before it was the popular thing to do. Her philosophy always was, “When in doubt, buy two.” She also loved to travel. As a young woman before meeting Ed, she had visited France and even Cuba. She and Ed enjoyed trips to Ireland, Spain, and Italy and four times a year, they would trek north to Canada to visit some or all of her 56 first cousins. One activity that she frequently enjoyed was sampling the fine local wines from wherever her journeys would take her. When her grandchildren were available, Carmen and Ed loved to have them join them on their traveling adventures. Since they especially loved their experience in Ireland, they chose to go again, sharing the trip with their grandchildren. They were also welcomed to join Grandma and Grandpa on vacations to Ocean City Maryland and to Cape Cod Massachusetts. Wherever they went, Carmen was so proud of her grandkids always describing them as “beautiful and bright!”

Carmen enjoyed time in the kitchen creating various culinary delights. She especially loved having her family gathered for holidays and family celebrations. In fact, anyone was always welcome in Carmen’s home and, given her generous spirit, it was not unusual to her family that Carmen would frequently invite random guests for a holiday dinner.

While she was small in stature, Carmen was large-and-in-charge in terms of personality and presence. And while her family acknowledges the sadness they feel, Carmen would have wanted her funeral services to be more of a celebration of her life. Therefore, in that spirit, family and friends should not feel that they must come dressed in black. Rather, in recognition of Carmen’s colorful life, feel free to wear whatever colors you desire.

Carmen was the beloved wife of Edmund, blessed in marriage for 60 years. She was the most loving mother of: Aimee Zschack and husband Mark of Franklin, Edmund Froude and wife Susan of Blairstown, Roger Froude of Malta, NY, Keith Froude and wife Lisa of Oxford, PA, and Suzanne Froude of Wayne: cherished grandmother of: Jessica MacLeod and husband Sean of Vernon, William Zschack and wife Amy of Newton, Edmund Froude and wife Lauren of Hamburg, Keith Froude of Oxford, PA, Julia Cordaro of Wayne, and Christopher Cordaro of Wayne; cherished step-grandmother of Amanda Clohessey and Andrew Clohessey; adoring great-grandmother of: Maggie MacLeod and Charlie Zschack; dear sister of the late Gaetan Ouimet and his late wife Carole Ouimet; dear sister-in-law of: Muriel Murphy and her late husband Arthur of Shrewsbury, and the late Donald Froude.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Carmen’s name are asked to consider: National Processing Center, Alzheimer’s Association, Greater NJ Chapter, P.O. Box 96011 Washington DC 20090 or online at www.alz.org.