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Frances Talbott-White Obituary

May 7, 1941 - February 5, 2025 Frances Talbott-White died early in the morning of February 5, 2025 at the age of 83. She was born May 7, 1941, in Newark, Ohio, but grew up in Los Angeles. She met her future husband, Stephen Fry, at UC Riverside where both played in the orchestra. They were married January 26, 1963, and have been married for 62 years.
Frances earned her B.A. and M.A. at UCR in English Literature, and taught freshman classes there. She completed the course work for her Ph.D. at Northwestern University in 1974. She also taught classes at Northwestern and Loyola Marymount University.
For 20 years, from about 1980, Frances ran her business "Beyond Words" in Culver City in which she created resumes and documents for a variety of clients, including TV and media executives. During this period she also served on the board of the Los Angeles chapter of the League of Women Voters, and often led candidate forums for local political races.
Her primary creative outlets were poetry and music. She created a large body of poems, some of which were published in journals and newspapers. She was most noted for her brief poems introducing each new year with reflections on past events. She performed on flute in the Santa Monica College Emeritus concert band, and she sang and mentored in the Angel City Choral.
She is survived by her husband, Stephen M. Fry, and sons John and Kenneth and their families.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Los Angeles Times on Feb. 9, 2025.

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3 Entries

Madolin Wells

June 9, 2025

I'm just seeing this now. My deepest condolences to Frances's husband and family. She was a talented flutest and singer and a great lover of nature.

We met when I joined Angel City Chorale and worked with her on the newsletter she issued every month for fellow choristers. She had a gentle way of cautioning me against coming down too hard in my copy-edits of people's submissions.

Frances had a keen interest in fantasy fiction and I enjoyed her wit in the imaginative naming of characters. Requiescat in pace, Frances.

Robyn Rothstein

February 9, 2025

I'm so sorry for your loss. I enjoyed meeting Frances when she joined the Angel City Chorale. She was a pleasure to know.

Suzanne R Taix

February 9, 2025

So sorry to hear of Frances' passing. She was a great and quirky lady that I admired.

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