Frances Teresa Charos of East Quogue Dies December 22

Frances Teresa Charos of East Quogue died on December 22, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was 91.

She was born on March 20, 1933, in the small town of Kincasslagh in Co. Donegal, Ireland to Charles and Bridget (Gallagher) Doogan. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Fannie Gallagher.

As a young girl, she worked with her family farming potatoes and preparing peat turf for fuel. When not working, she enjoyed attending local dances with her siblings and friends. At the age of 16, she left home and moved to Dublin to work as a nanny. Two years later, she journeyed to London and found a job as a chambermaid, and worked for several years at the Cumberland Hotel in Piccadilly Circus. She then found work in a factory making ballet slippers, where she developed her passion for sewing. Before beginning her journey to America, she worked at a restaurant that catered to GIs until the age of 25.

Her courage and sense for adventure eventually brought her to the United States in 1958. She traveled six days by ship on the RMS Queen Elizabeth to her aunt’s home in Bayonne, New Jersey. She soon began working at a Howard Johnson’s on the New Jersey Turnpike, where she met a friend who invited her to work on the East End of Long Island for the summer. She was a hostess at the Patio Restaurant in Westhampton Beach in the summer of 1958. She lived with her friend in a tiny cottage and would walk to Mass each Sunday. Eventually, winter arrived, and feeling homesick, she decided to return to Ireland. To earn enough money for her return ticket, she took a job at the Hampton Grill (AKA The Hampton Bays Diner), where she met one of the owners and her future husband, Peter Charos.

After marrying her husband in 1963, she soon after had two sets of twins 15 months apart, which kept her extremely busy throughout her life. She enjoyed many hobbies, such as pottery, sewing and quilting. Over the years, she created dozens of beautiful hand-stitched quilts for her family, as well as clothing, wall hangings and decorative pillows. She also enjoyed exercise and spent time at the gym, playing tennis and attending yoga classes. She also had a passion for cooking and baking. She was outstanding at both, and passed down many wonderful recipes to her family and friends, her family noted.

She loved the outdoors and created numerous beautiful gardens at her home in East Quogue with her husband during their retirement. She enjoyed the ocean at Ponquogue Beach especially, where she spent many summer days with her young children.

The past six years she spent the majority of her time in Kings Park with her daughter’s family. There, she often visited Kings Park Bluff overlooking the Long Island Sound. She was comforted by the sea air and scenery that she said reminded her of her home in Donegal, Ireland.

She has always had a strong faith, which brought her comfort during many challenging times throughout her life. She faced numerous health battles, which she was able to overcome because of her strong relationship with God, her loving family support, and her unwavering strength and courage, her family said.

“Our beautiful mother was an empathetic, kind soul with a strong sense of family and a heart of gold,” her family said. “She will forever remain in our hearts and memories as our beloved matriarch.”

She is survived by her four children, Anthony Charos, Kevin and wife Paula Charos, Kathleen and husband David Ferrari, Maureen and husband Joseph Cambra; her stepchildren, Peter, John and James Charos and Margaret Halsey; seven grandchildren, Anna and Griffin Cambra, Kevin and Laura Charos, Nicole and Anthony Ferrari, Anthony Jacob Charos; and her great-granddaughter, Lilly Spellman.

A gathering of family and friends will take place at R.J. O’Shea’s Funeral home in Hampton Bays on Thursday, January 2, from 7-9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held on January 3, at St. Rosalie’s R.C Church also in Hampton Bays, at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) will be appreciated.