Florence E. (Caseley) Spinney

Florence E. (Caseley) Spinney, died peacefully on May 19th in the care and comfort of her family at her home in Hanson, just two weeks before her 100th birthday.

She was born in Boston in 1922, the daughter of the late James L. and Eleanor (Hannah) Caseley. She grew up in North Quincy the third of five siblings.

Florence was the beloved wife for 43 years of the late Edmund J. Spinney. She is survived by her children Diane Kennedy of Georgia, Virginia Morrell, her long-time caregiver, of Hanson, Edmund Spinney, Jr. and his wife Sue of Oregon, Eleanor Herman and her husband Skip of New York, John Spinney and his wife Barbara of Norfolk, and Chris Spinney and his wife Suzy of Carlisle. She is also survived by over 30 grandchildren and great grandchildren and many more nieces and nephews. She was considered a second mother by her nephew Steven Caseley of Iowa. Her neighbor Deborah Lynch was a frequent visitor and a great comfort to her for many years.

She is preceded in death by her beloved sisters Jesse Perry and Eleanor (Ruth) Churchill, her brothers Raymond Caseley and James Caseley and dear grandson, Jared Kennedy.

Florence loved spending time with family and friends and enjoyed sharing stories from her long life. She would recall, while growing up during the Great Depression years in order to make ends meet, she would help make donuts with her mother and sell them to door-to-door to neighborhood families. She also recalled while strolling along Wollaston Beach as a young girl seeing the zeppelin Hindenburg fly over head on its final fateful journey to Lakehurst New Jersey, in 1937.

She graduated from North Quincy High School in 1940, where she played violin in the Orchestra. After high school Florence worked as a telephone operator in Boston for 13 years. On her way home after working the night shift she and her sister Jesse would often stop at the Milton riding academy to go horseback riding. It was there that she met her future husband who was working as a “pilot” at the stables. He always joked that his job was to “pile it” here and “pile it” there.

Florence and Ed were married in 1946 and began raising their family. In 1955 they moved to Hanson where they made their home for the rest of their lives. The home she made there was a source of love, strength and comfort for her family and a large extended family and was a frequent gathering spot for family reunions and parties.

Over the years, Florence enjoyed several hobbies and crafts from excavating and collecting old bottles, refinishing antiques, painting, and making beaded jewelry. She loved games and puzzles and was quite good at them, often teaching her children and grandchildren how to lose gracefully. She loved bargain hunting and would often spend a day going to yard sales and thrift stores with a family member.

The immediate family wishes to express their sincere gratitude and love to all our friends, neighbors and family that have been there to support Florence with acts of kindness and love during the difficult times we have all been through. They would also like to thank the wonderful people of South Shore Hospice who worked tirelessly to assist in the care for Florence in her final days and that you consider a donation to them in Florence’s memory.

Visiting Hours will be held from the Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home 4 West Washington St. (Corner of Rte. 58) Hanson on Tuesday May 24th 4-8 PM. Services will be held in the Funeral Home on Wednesday May 25th at 10 AM. Relatives and friends respectfully invited to attend. Interment Blue Hills Cemetery, Braintree.

Friends and family who would like to join in the services remotely may join a webinar of the services at: https://tinyurl.com/florenceservice

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Florence E. (Caseley) Spinney, please visit our floral store.