Henry A. Francis,. age 83 of Lincoln, MA, died on May 21, 2022. He was born on October 17, 1938, in Pittsfield, MA. Henry is survived by his wife of 56 years, Phoebe Lee Francis; a son Andrew and his wife Jennifer Lynch, and a granddaughter Phoebe, all of Boston; two brothers, Bartlett Francis of Santa Barbara, CA and Robert Francis of Port Townsend, WA. After preparing at the Groton School in Groton, MA, Henry graduated with an A.B. in engineering and applied physics from Harvard College where he was a member of Kirkland House and the Class of 1960. Since graduation, he was frequently in attendance at the Class of 1960’s Boston Area luncheons. In 1962, he received an S.B. from Imperial College of the University of London and later, in 1977, received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Imperial College. Upon his return to the USA, Henry worked at Draper Labs.
Henry’s avocation was traditional jazz. In 1991, he founded The Swing Legacy, a band devoted to music of the1930s and 1940s, which played in Boston and beyond. As a self-taught pianist, he specialized in the music of The Great American Songbook.
Henry was a lover of the outdoors and spent many enjoyable hours biking, rowing on local rivers, and walking the trails of Lincoln.
A Celebration of Henry’s Life will be held in the fall.
Donations to his memory may be made to the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, 145 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 or to a charity of one’s choice.
Slightly modified from what was published in the Boston Globe from May 26 to May 29, 2022.
