This week, tragedy struck the Berkshires at a popular ski destination in Hancock.
“The state police detective unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, they responded to Jiminy Peak on Tuesday after a report of a snow groomer and a snowmobile collision," said Berkshire County District Attorney spokesperson Andy McKeever. “Kimber Francoeur, 30, of Lanesborough- She died after the snow groomer operator backed into the snowmobile that she was operating. Jiminy Peak ski patrol and Northern Berkshire EMS attempted to save Kimber’s life, but ultimately Northern Berkshire EMS pronounced her deceased at approximately 11:20 a.m.”
In a statement, Jiminy Peak’s management described the death as a terrible tragedy, and pledged to fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation, which McKeever confirmed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is involved in.
For Francoeur’s loved ones, her death is nothing short of devastating.
Sister Loretta Forfa spoke with WAMC Thursday.
“She's a really strong individual and would probably be kicking all of our butts right now for being as emotional as we are," Forfa told WAMC. "She just was somebody who was very tough and very strong for everybody for a long time.”
Forfa, 34, has been going through her sister’s belongings in the apartment they shared in Adams.
“It's been, it's been really hard," she told WAMC. "All of her sweatshirts are all of ski places that she went or from work or stuff like that- Which is like, every hoodie we found was that, so.”
Francoeur was raised in Cheshire with her parents, Peter and Patti, and the four siblings she grew up with before moving to Adams. Nicknamed “Cakes” by her dad, Francoeur came from a lively and tightknit family.
“She was something. She always was a troublemaker with us. We always caused a bunch of ruckus. But with me, Loretta, and Kimber, we were like a steel door. Not one of us would ever tell on the other person. Ever. We would all get grounded together because they'd ask what happened and we were just a steel trap. And my mom always laughs about it, because she's like, you guys just would cover for each other like nobody else she's ever met. And I think that just says a lot about our bond and how strong we were together," said Jessica Lupo, 33, another of Francoeur’s sisters.
She says that by 30, her baby sister was living her best life.
“She was adventurous," Lupo told WAMC. "She went on hikes, she drove to different states to explore, and she brought her dogs everywhere. Her dogs were her pride. And she gave them the best life possible. And she was so outgoing. She just made everybody smile. She made tense situations more relaxed. And she just, she helped everybody any way she could. If you were in trouble, she'd stop on a dime, whatever she was doing, it didn't matter, and she'd be there. So she's probably one of the strongest people I know, and even being her older sister, I aspire to have some of her spunk and personality.”
Kimber, along with beloved German Shepherds Aspen and Oakley, loved hitting the open road to discover new mountains.
“One trip in particular, 2017, we went to 11 different mountains that winter. We hit five, actually, in one trip. We didn't stop until we- I mean, we had planned for three. And then there was one on the way and we stopped there. And then there was another on the way and we stopped there," said Chase Obarowski, 30. He dated Kimber for a couple of years. They remained close friends afterwards.
“Kimber and I adopted Oakley from Berkshire Humane Society in 2017 as well," he told WAMC. "And then Aspen came along afterwards. We drove to Pennsylvania to an Amish farm to go pick her up, and she threw up all over our friend in the backseat on the way home. She loved those dogs.”
Through tears, Obarowski echoed Francoeur’s sisters.
“She was the strongest person that any of us knew," he told WAMC. "She could make you laugh at the drop of a dime, even if the situation was tense. Very good person.”
A memorial service will be held for Francoeur Monday morning at Jiminy Peak. Donations in her name may be made to the Berkshire Humane Society in Pittsfield.
