Frances Wilcox

Frances Wilcox

Phoenix - Frances McLean Wilcox, age 92, passed away of natural causes on 23 February 2018. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother as well as a classical singer whose beautiful soprano voice was a boon to the arts community in Phoenix during the 1950s and 1960s. Frances, born Sarah Frances McLean, traveled to Phoenix with her family at aged two from her birthplace in Ada, Oklahoma.

Frances sang for most of her youth and attended Pomona College in Claremont, California where she graduated with a Bachelor degree in Vocal Performance in 1947. She sang her senior recital in June of that year and married Robert Wilcox ten days later in Phoenix on 29 June 1947 wearing the same dress for both events.

After her marriage Frances became the main manager of her husband's business - Bob Wilcox Studio, which grew to a chain of three studios and a color laboratory. She remained very active both as a singer and an opera lover. She served in the Phoenix Symphony Guild and sang with the Arizona Opera, Phoenix Musical Theater and the Phoenix Symphony Chorale. In addition she was a soloist for Crossroads Methodist Church Choir with whom she performed several oratorios with orchestra. During the 1960s and 1970s she and several like-minded ladies took an annual trip to San Francisco to see up to five operas during each trip.

At the end of her study at Pomona in 1947, Frances and ten other friends formed a "round robin" letter. Frances kept all her letters from the beginning to the end in 2009. This group was noted over the years in several of the ladies hometown newspapers. It is believed that she was the last surviving member of this group who continued to have reunions up to 50 years later.

Frances and her husband of 67 years, Bob, spent almost twenty years covering the western United States in their silver stream trailer and became active with several RV clubs. They also spent many trips traveling around the world and saw nearly every continent on the globe. Frances enjoyed playing golf with Bob and swimming at the Phoenix Country Club for many years.

Frances is preceded in death by her husband Robert Clayton Wilcox and her daughter Judy Wilcox Green. She is survived by her daughter Rebecca Wilcox Wilberg, six grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Frances was well known in her family for her ability to cut a pie into six perfect pieces (and other acts of perfection!) and her nearly non-stop reading. She often had a book in her purse, a book by her bedside and a book at work all being read simultaneously. She had a life-long love affair with cats of all kinds though she never had one in her home due to her husband's allergies. At Frances' request there will be no service. Her ashes will be lovingly mixed with those of her sweetheart Bob and spread in their two most favorite places on earth; Netarts Bay in Oregon where they spent the summers of their retirement and the top of the Mogollon Rim in Arizona-the beloved adopted state of them both.