Frances Crigler Faltermayer
Beloved Mother, Grandmother
Frances Crigler Faltermayer, a longtime Westfield resident, passed on January 14, 2026, due to complications of congestive heart failure, with her daughter by her side. She was 86.
Born in Charleston, W. Va. on April 25, 1939, Fran moved to Washington, D.C. in 1950. Some of her fondest childhood memories were of summers spent on the family farm amid the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Madison, Va.
Fran was an alumna of Mount Vernon Seminary and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, graduating in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in art and art history. She later studied painting at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and attended the New York School of Interior Design. A formidable artist, Fran was recognized for her intricate, abstract oil paintings, featured in one woman shows of her work. She was also a gifted watercolorist.
While living in Manhattan in the mid-’60s with her older sister, Molly, she edited copy for the trade publication of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences to make ends meet. She and Molly hosted swanky dinner parties at their Upper East Side apartment, and it was there that she met the love of her life, Ed Faltermayer, who had recently become a writer for FORTUNE magazine. They were engaged four months later and married on October 7, 1967.
Fran and Ed moved with their son, Steven, from Brooklyn to Westfield in 1970 when Fran was expecting their daughter, Charlotte. Fran was a demonstrative and dedicated mother who threw magical birthday parties for her children. She fed her artistic soul by holding group art lessons for countless Westfield children from her home. She also designed and executed sets for the annual Grant and Washington School plays. Later in life, she helped hang art to display for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Westfield’s yearly contest.
Over the years, Fran generously volunteered her time with many local organizations, including the Junior League, the Westfield Service League and the College Woman’s Club of Westfield, serving on its scholarship committee. In midlife, she began working for the Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, spending the majority of her 24 fulfilling years there teaching art history. She retired in 2017.
Fran and Ed enjoyed many trips together, including to Bermuda and Tuscany. After Ed was diagnosed with ALS in 2001, Fran was his tireless caregiver until he passed in January of 2003. An ovarian and breast cancer survivor, Fran valiantly faced her own health struggles with a quiet warrior spirit and a determination that allowed her to witness her grandchildren, Max and Ella Dolling, who grew up in Westfield, reach adulthood. A 55-year member of the Presbyterian Church of Westfield and a member of Echo Lake Country Club since 1984, Fran is repeatedly remembered as a lovely, sweet, elegant lady and a true friend. All cherish the kind notes she wrote over the years in her meticulous handwriting and her congenial conversation. She delighted in both entertaining and in dining out, and she especially treasured hosting her family at ELCC’s annual Champagne Brunch.
In addition to her aforementioned children and grandchildren, surviving are Fran’s devoted son-in-law, Stephan Dolling (husband to Charlotte), also of Westfield; her brother, John Crigler, of Fredericksburg, Va.; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Her sister, Molly O’Connell, predeceased her in 1994.
A celebration of life is being planned for the spring, according to Fran’s wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to The College Woman’s Club of Westfield, cwclubwestfield.org, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, danafarber.org.
Arrangements are by the Dooley Colonial Funeral Home of Westfield.
