Alice T. Kearns' Obituary
Alice T. Kearns, 100, died Monday, March 15, at the Crandall Medical Center in Sebring OH. She was born in Franklin NH on April 14, 1909 to the Rev. Roger and Lena Thompson. She was the fourth of four children. The family moved frequently as her father served various United Methodist churches in New Hampshire. Alice was the valedictorian of the senior class at Rochester NH High School in 1926. That fall she boarded the train to Delaware, OH, where she entered Ohio Wesleyan University. During her first semester she met Francis Kearns, who would later become her husband. She graduated in June of 1930 with a degree in Christian Education. In September of 1933, in the midst of the Depression, she married Francis E. Kearns, now a United Methodist minister. Together they raised three children and served churches in Pittsburgh, Ben Avon, Uniontown, PA and Wauwatosa, WI. She was very involved as advisor to the Methodist Youth Fellowship and an active member of the UMC Women s Society of Christian Service. In 1964 her husband was elected a bishop in the United Methodist Church and they moved to Canton, OH for 12 more years of service. Trips to several missionary projects in Asia and Africa, and the organization of retreats for spouses of ministers were among the highlights of her time in Canton. Alice and her husband spent the first 12 years of their retirement in Delaware, OH. For the last 22 years she has lived in the Copeland Oaks Retirement Community in Sebring, OH. Alice will be remembered as a dedicated Christian who lived life with enthusiasm. She never tired of helping her neighbor and encouraging others to do their best. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. As her daughter Peggy said: "Mom is full of love and it is contagious!" She will be greatly missed. She was predeceased by her husband, Bishop Francis Kearns, and her daughter, Margaret Kearns Baldwin. She is survived by her sons, Rollin (Heidi) Kearns, Francis (Janet) Kearns, her son-in-law Richard (Randi) Baldwin, grandchildren Robert (Misty) Baldwin, Mary Frances (Scott) Raffo, Elizabeth (Jeff) Steinheider and Joan Kearns, and great-grandchildren Mason, Margaret Mary and Ella, and many loved nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the Copeland Oaks Chapel in Sebring.
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