Frances Sanford Bradner Masefield, the daughter of the late Dr. Morris Renfrew and Frances Sanford Bradner, passed away on March 27, 2011 at her home after a long illness. Born on May 20, 1934, Frances, known as “Perch”, was descended from two of Warwick’s pioneer families – the Rev. John Bradner, the first minister of the Goshen Presbyterian Church in 1721, and Ezra Sanford, whose father and brothers arrived in Warwick between 1760 and 1765.
Frances graduated from The Garrison Forest School in Owings Mill MD in 1952 and Vassar College in 1956 with a B.S. in Zoology. During her freshman year at Vassar she made her debut at the Grosvenor Ball. Following her graduation she became a Research Assistant to D. Georgios Papanikolaou at the Cornell Medical School where he developed the “Pap test” used in the detection and prevention of cervical cancer.
After her marriage to Gregory C. Masefield in 1960, and raising three sons, Perch became the curator at the Shingle House, the oldest surviving house in the Village of Warwick. Perch’s parents Dr. and Mrs. Bradner, along with others had been active in the restoration of the house in the 1950’s. The house was built by Daniel Burt, and his son Daniel Jr. who married Martha Bradner an ancestor of Perch. For 23 years she regularly conducted tours of the house on the Historical Society’s Open Days during the summer months. She also curated the Herb Wheel Garden at The 1810 House as a member of the Orange and Dutchess County Chapter of the Garden Club of America. Perch was a devoted horsewoman and enjoyed trail riding her whole life.
She is survived by her husband Greg and their three sons - Gregory Jr., and his wife Amy and daughter Elsa; David and his wife Dory, and their children Jed, Haiden and Sawyer; and James and his wife Melita. She was predeceased by her two brothers, Dr M. Renfrew Bradner Jr. and John Henry Bradner.
A celebration of her life will be held at the Warwick Reformed Church on Sat. May 21, 2011. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in her name to “The Shingle House Restoration Fund” at the Historical Society of the Town of Warwick, P.O. Box 353 Warwick, N.Y. 10990.