Frances Naomi Ferrell

Frances Ferrell Obituary

Frances Naomi Willis Ferrell, 94, of Roanoke, Va., passed away peacefully on March 6, 2009, surrounded by her family. Her husband, Allen Noel Ferrell, and her parents, Mary Tabor and William Thomas Willis, preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughters, Trilbie Ferrell Knapp and husband, John L. Knapp, of Charlottesville, Va., Kaye Frances Ferrell and Alan May, of Pearland, Texas; and a son, Wayne Allen Ferrell and wife, Tussy Ferrell, of West Chester, Pa. A daughter, Mary Boyd Ferrell, died in early childhood. In addition, she had six grandchildren, Laurence and Paget Knapp, Lauren Shelley, Ed and Will Peniche, and Amada Peniche who preceded her in death; three greatgrandchildren, August and Christopher Knapp and Alexa Shelley; two sisters, Trilby Ann Powell and Louise Spouse; predeceased by two siblings, Josephine Carr and Gene Willis. In addition, she has numerous nieces and nephews. Frances was a devoted mother and grandmother who will be deeply missed by her family and friends. She had a wonderful sense of humor and lived life with a young, independent and determined spirit. She enjoyed fashion and worked for Lazarus, a women's clothing store, for more than 20 years. She retired at age 72. She enjoyed reading, politics, sports, music, classic movies and live theatre. On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at 1 p.m., there will be a gathering of family and friends at Oakey's North Funeral Chapel located at 6732 Peters Creek Road, NW, 540-362-1237, followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. in the chapel, officiated by Vernon Ferguson. The interment will proceed at Mountain View Cemetery in Vinton, Va. Afterwards, family and friends are invited to an afternoon meal at Grace United Methodist Church at 4404 Williamson Road, NW. Our family would like to thank many special people that enriched our mother's life with their friendship and care. Please direct memorial donations to Grace United Methodist Church.

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Published by Roanoke Times from Mar. 8 to Mar. 9, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for Frances Ferrell

5 Entries

Moyenda Knapp

March 26, 2009

I remember when I asked Larry's grandmother what I should call her, she replied, without hesitation, "Call me Grandma Fran, like the rest of my grandkids." For me, that memory is a testament to what kind of a woman Grandma Fran was. She was a kind, beautiful, caring, strong, wonderful soul. I will always truly miss her.

Laurence Knapp

March 22, 2009

I could not have asked for a better grandmother in Frances. She kept a watchful eye on me and gave me the sense that I was loved and protected. I will do my best to pass on her indomitable spirit to her great-grandsons, August and Christopher.

John Knapp

March 20, 2009

The Bible refers to the days of our years as being three score and ten. Well, Frances Ferrell crashed through that limit, achieving an age of 94—twenty-four years of extra life, and most of them very good years.
I promise not to belabor this point too long, but it is fascinating to consider the many events that occurred from 1915 to 2009. During her life-time we had seventeen presidents, starting with Woodrow Wilson, the last president from Virginia, and ending with Barack Obama. We had four major wars, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and Viet Nam. In 1920 when Fran was five there was the first commercial radio broadcast and women were granted the right to vote. In 1927 when she was twelve there was the first talking movie, “The Jazz Singer”. When she was fourteen the stock market crashed, a precursor of the Great Depression. In 1933, when Fran was eighteen, President Roosevelt launched the New Deal. In 1950, when Fran was thirty-five, credit cards were introduced. When she was forty-eight in 1963, Martin Luther King addressed a huge crowd at the Lincoln Memorial with his “I have a dream” speech and a year later the Civil Rights Act was passed. In 1969 a fifty-four year old Fran watched on television the first landing of a man on the moon. In 1981, when Fran was a youthful sixty-six, the first woman was appointed to the Supreme Court. In 2008 she was a witness to the first woman making a serious bid for the presidency and the election of the first African-American president.
Fran’s life, except for her infancy, was spent in Roanoke. And during her lifetime there were many changes as the local economy shifted from rail-roading and manufacturing to health services and education.
I first met Mrs. Ferrell in Richmond in 1961. (I didn’t start calling her Fran until about twenty years ago.) Trilbie was a newly minted teacher in a middle school in the Richmond suburban county of Henrico, and we had been dating a few months. Although it was not billed as such, I believe Noel, Fran, and their young daughter Kaye had come to look me over. We had a fine lunch, I passed the test, and the rest is history.
As I reflect on her life and all the times I had to observe her in good times and bad, I am struck by what a strong person she was. If ever there was a mama bear who looked out for he cubs, it was Fran. Her children, Trilbie, Wayne, and Kaye, always came first and she did everything she could for them. She awarded them and their children unconditional love. She always stood by them, and she instilled in them the drive for education that resulted in all of them obtaining college degrees.
Fran was a remarkably organized person. She kept track of everything and everything had its place. In fact, I think it is fair to say she was a perfec-tionist. If I washed her dishes and put a cup in the wrong cupboard, I was told where to put it. I think that this remarkable skill was part of the secret of her competence and independence. She kept up with repairs and enlisted the help of a loyal cadre of handymen that included Ray Powell, Bill Soper and his son Will, Alan May, and myself. I got so used to work assignments that before we would visit I would ask what needed to be fixed so I could bring proper tools.
Fran was a fighter. She liked competition. Trilbie and I spent many enjoyable evenings playing scrabble with her. Sometimes I had to pull out the rule book it she tried to get overly creative with her moves.
She watched out for herself. At the same time she had a very sweet side and she was very generous. Fran loved clothes, and I am sure that her enthusiasm about apparel contributed to her successful career at Lazarous.
I guess the best way to sum up this remarkable woman is that she was a modern version of the “Unsinkable Molly Brown”. She enjoyed life and when adversity visited her she maintained an indomitable spirit. We will all miss her.
John Knapp, son-in-law

Peniche Carlos

March 12, 2009

I believe that the secret to Fran's long life was her easy going nature and tranquility. I have known her for 30 years and she was my mother in law. I am sure she had her moments but I never saw them. She seemed not to fret over little things and when Kaye and I faced tragedies and harsh challenges, she was appropriately supportive and positive. Like my father, she loved to read. I am certain that one book she never read, which I did, was "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". She didn't need to but if you find yourself the type who seems to have more than your share of disagreements with people, you might check it out and get some Fran in you.

Some of my best experiences with her were her visits to us in Houston. She loved sports, especially football, and adopted our then Houston Oilers as her team. She was particularly fond of the Oilers of the early 1990's when they went to the playoffs for about 6 years in a row (I think). I know we went to at least one game. My memory fades, but I think it was the game in which Moon threw to Ernest Givins (No. 81) from about the 10 yard line and he was hit low such that he literally flipped 360 degrees and into the end zone for a touchdown. He landed on his feet, standing! That catch is still shown in NFL highlights. She and I were so amazed at that amazing catch! We talked about it from time to time.

Then there were the visits to Gilley's and the time we saw Willie Nelson out at the San Jacinto Monument. After the concert ended, Kaye, Fran and I were walking to buses (I think parking at a remote site was mandatory) and she tripped over a curb stop in the parking lot. There were huge lines and we were assisted and she (with us!) was put directly on a bus in the front and we left a lot earlier than we would have. She was fine but I had fun teasing her about those "Texas curb stops" which "jump out from nowhere". It is "so" true that when you are gone what you really leave behind you is memories. I am so glad to have had Fran in my life and to have been able to share in her joy, her enthusiam and to have my own special memories of her.

Jo Anne Baldwin (Campbell)

March 9, 2009

Wayne,
So sorry to hear of your Mothers' death but what a nice long life she had. My prayers are with you.

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