Louise Franklin Sheehy

Louise Franklin Sheehy moved to the Orlando area in 1963 and discovered her calling as a project start-up director. Projects that she was involved with include the Jewish Family Services, The Holocaust Studies Project at Valencia College, Elderhostel at Canterbury Retreat Center, Life at UCF, Millionth Circle, and the Multifaith Education Project. Louise passed away April 18, 2020.

Listen  to the interview (19:43)

Interview Highlights:

Louise Franklin Sheehy came to Orlando in 1963 from Boston with her first husband and two sons, Joshua and Jonathan. She wrote a book about the death of her youngest son entitled, “I Haven’t Talked About This Before.” 

Louise sought culinary advice from radio personality Gene Burns. Louise’s father introduced her early to the values of interfaith relationships, and she discovered her calling was to be a startup person for a lot of projects: Jewish Family Services; Holocaust Project; Canterbury Center’s elder hostel; Life at UCF.

She mentions Barnies Coffee and Tea in downtown Orlando, how she met her second husband Frank Sheehy, and the book she wrote about their life after his passing, “I’m Talking About This Now.”

Louise also mentions the Millionth Circle and Multi-faith Education Project and Sr. Ann Kendrick founder of the Hope Community Center in Apopka.

Louise speaks of wanting to follow a Colorado initiative for single parent families, referring to it as the “Warren Commission”. She was remembering the Warren Village in Denver, which was established in 1974 and is still serving the city’s low income, single-parent families.  

See photos and other information here.

This interview was conducted by Warren French on April 13, 2016 for Orlando Memory