After briefly attending Wellesley College, Frances moved to New York City. She went to work for the Western Electric Company and met her husband, WWII serviceman Bruno Pellegrini of Chicago, IL. They were married in 1944 and thereafter worked as partners in a professional photography business, keeping a studio in Manhattan where they produced work for magazine advertising and editorial pages, and merchandise catalogues. The couple and their two children lived in Palisades overlooking the river from 1955 to 1961 when they moved to New York.

Frances later owned and jointly operated Buttercup & Friends with her late sister Ann, a charming children’s toy and clothing store in Piermont, NY. She is survived by her son Roger and daughter-in-law Maureen of Sparkill, daughter Nina Pellegrini and her husband Randall Wolfgang of Montclair, NJ and four grandchildren. A memorial service was held at the Palisades Presbyterian Church where Frances was a long time member.