Catherine Rose Davies "Kay" Frakes

1932 - 2016

Catherine Rose (Kay) Davies Frakes, 84, died on December 8, 2016 in Santa Barbara, after a very long illness due to Lewy Body Dementia. She was the daughter of British immigrants John Leslie Davies and Catherine Paul Rodgers Davies. She was predeceased by her parents and brothers, John Arthur Davies and Ambassador Rodger Paul Davies. Kay was born on September 3, 1932 and grew up in Berkeley, CA. She was a graduate of Stanford University, where she was admitted to two honor societies. She married a classmate, George E. Frakes, an Air Force lieutenant, in 1954 at the end of the Korean conflict. She was a military wife for three years living in four different states prior to returning to California. While living in Texas, Kay earned a teaching credential. She subsequently earned five other teaching credentials and a librarianship credential at the University of Southern California. Kay was the mother of James B. Frakes (Liz) of San Diego, Laura L. Frakes of Los Angeles, and Dr. Robert M. Frakes (Susan) of Clarion, PA.

Kay taught for 29 years for the Santa Barbara City Schools, primarily as a home/hospital teacher. She also was a librarian at the Cate School in Carpinteria. Kay was very active in her retirement years, and was the founder and board member of Vistas Lifelong Learning, a board member of the SBCC Luria Library Friends, an elementary-school tutor, a volunteer librarian for the S. B. Cancer Center's Research Department, and an active member of the League of Women Voters and AAUW. Kay loved to travel, and visited many European countries, all the North American countries and states, Mexico, several Central American nations, three South American countries, Polynesia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as China. She was a very active woman prior to her illness, playing tennis for the La Cumbre Country Club's C team, hiking in the Alps and Sierra Mountains, and an active swimmer.

She leaves her husband, Dr. George Frakes, three children, and four grandchildren: Christopher Frakes of New York City; Alex Frakes of Washington, D.C.; Hannah Catherine Frakes, a student at Stanford University; and Lilith Anne Frakes, a high-school senior student in PA.

Donations to honor Catherine D. Frakes may be made to the Visiting Nurses and Hospice Care of Santa Barbara; the S. B. C. C. Luria Library; or Stanford University

A memorial service is planned for Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 11 am at All Saints Episcopal Church.

Arrangements Entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary