Dennis I. Francis

Mr. Francis, 72, of Jackson, died Dec. 3, 2007, at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. He was born in Port Maria, St. Mary, Jamaica, West Indies, and had resided in Manalapan for 31 years before moving to Jackson in 2000. A graduate of Jamaica's Calabar High School, Mr. Francis immigrated to the United States in 1956 to further his studies and earned a degree from Brooklyn College. He was a career diplomat employed by the Jamaican government beginning in 1963 at the Consulate General of Jamaica and the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations in New York City. He was a delegate to the U.N. Conference on the Law of the Sea and worked to establish the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1994. Mr. Francis is survived by his wife of 47 years, Jean; two sons and daughters-in-law, Derek and Randi Francis of Princeton, and Ian and Carolyn Francis of Parker, Colo.; six sisters and four brothers-inlaw, Dorothy "Peggy" and Keith Haughton of Port St. Lucie, Fla., Ann Duggan, Kay and Gary Daley of London, Jacqueline Tomlinson, and Claudia and Devon Shuriah and Ruth and Murvin Wallace, all of Toronto, Canada; three brothers and a sister-in-law, Gary Francis and John Francis, both of London, and Morris and Karen Francis of Katy, Texas; two grandchildren; and many friends and other relatives. Cremation was private. Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, Freehold Township, was in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to the CentraState Healthcare Foundation, 916 Route 33, Suite 6, Freehold, NJ 07728- 8450; or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, P.O. Box 414238, Boston, MA 02241-4238.