Sister Frances (formerly Sister M. Antoinette) Lauranzano, 100, a Sister of Mercy for 78 years, died April 13, 2026 at Warde Senior Living, Windham, New Hampshire. A native of Beverly, Massachusetts, she was one of ten children of the late Natale and Colomba (Marcucci) Lauranzano.

Sister Frances held a B.A. degree in education from Mount St. Mary College in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Her ministry as a Sister of Mercy was in education with teaching in elementary schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Sister Frances taught primary grades in New Hampshire at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and St. Joseph School in Manchester, St. Mary School in Claremont, St. John School in Laconia, St. Mary School in Dover, St. Patrick School in Berlin, and St. Joseph School in Keene.  In Massachusetts, Sister Frances taught at St. Mary Star of the Sea School in East Boston, and St Ann School in Gloucester.

After 21 years of teaching, Sister Frances went on to earn certification as a nurses aide to care for the elderly and infirmed in nursing homes in Massachusetts: Columbus Nursing Home, Don Orione Nursing Home, and Bay View Nursing Home, all in East Boston, and R.E.W. Health Agency in Winthrop. Upon retirement, Sister Frances volunteered time and services at St. Joseph Hospital and St. Christopher School in Nashua.

Interwoven into her years of teaching, nursing, and retirement years, Sister Frances was recognized for a pattern of volunteer service. Early services were at the former Infant Asylum in Manchester and the former Infirmary in Windham, New Hampshire. In her retirement years, Sister Frances volunteered as a Eucharistic minister and administrative assistant at St. Joseph Hospital and St. Christopher Church in Nashua. In 1996 Sister Frances received the St. Joseph Hospital Helen P. Girard Award for working the most volunteer hours that year. Her name is inscribed in a plaque at the hospital.

In 2003 the newly established President's Council on Service and Civic Participation recognized Sister Frances with distinction for over 100 hours of volunteer service. At the time, President Bush called for every American to complete 4,000 or more hours of service over the course of a lifetime. Sister Frances in her journey as a Sister of Mercy over 78 years achieved the goal ahead of the call.  The congratulatory letter of President Bush to Sister Frances states: "Through your service to others, you demonstrate the outstanding character of America and help strengthen the country."

Sister Frances is survived by members of her Mercy Community, and her sister Phyllis Lauranzano Willey. She was predeceased by five brothers, Natale, Enrico, Joseph, Ralph, and Guido Lauranzano; and three sisters, Joanna and Yolanda Lauranzano and Mary Lauranzano Pinciaro.

Friends may call at the Warde Senior Living, 21 Searles Road, Windham, New Hampshire on April 24, 2026, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.  A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Bedford, New Hampshire. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, RI 02864-1124, and online at www.sistersofmercy.org. Arrangements are under the care of the Carrier Family Funeral Home, 38 Range Road, Windham, NH 03087.