Frances Davenport Davenport Hall

The Lord called home one of his angels, Frances Anna Mae Davenport Hall, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Frances was born on December 25, 1935, to Benjamin Davenport and Julia Allen Davenport in Paterson, New Jersey. She was the eldest of five daughters.

Frances grew up in Paterson, was educated at Public School No. 8, and graduated from Central High, now John F. Kennedy High School. She was known for her tiny frame and ability to climb to the top of the pyramids in gym class.

Frances met and married Ralph Hall, and together they raised three girls. The girls were her pride and joy and were always impeccably dressed. Frances was the consummate homemaker and kept an immaculate and well-organized home with dinner on the table at 6 o'clock. She bought food in bulk and froze it, labeling and organizing a separate freezer and pantry, all before others started doing it. She could create a system for anything that had to be done repetitively.

Frances and Ralph enjoyed music. Although neither had great musical talents, they enjoyed attending dances, listening to the latest tunes, and attending live performances. Frances also instilled a love of music in her girls with piano, violin, and dance lessons. One of her favorite artists was Johnny Mathis, whom she saw many times, and it was the last concert she attended.

An avid reader, Frances instilled a love of reading in her girls early by taking them to the library. Over the years, she always had a romance novel, or murder mystery that she was reading. She also loved cook books and had an impressive book collection!

Frances was multi-talented. She was an artist, able to sketch a dress from a store window in detail, and by the time she graduated from high school, she was an excellent seamstress. She made dresses for herself and many others, including her girls. She made dresses for Easter, Christmas, and even one for Flag Day! When her girls were in dancing school, Frances worked with the school's seamstress and made her girls' costumes for dance recitals. Her creations were constructed beautifully and professionally. Her sewing was impeccable. When the local cleaners saw her sewing talent, they engaged her to make the alterations requested by their customers. The highlight for her was designing and making all her daughter's prom dresses.

A very enterprising woman, Frances also worked outside of the home, in a ribbon factory, in retail, as a waitress, and finally settled on a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) career. Whatever job she held, she applied herself to it and aimed for excellence. As a CNA, Frances worked at several nursing homes and even worked on private duty cases. Her patients and their families were very appreciative of the loving and unselfish care she provided. She retired from Little Sisters of the Poor/Saint Joseph's Nursing Home after 25 years. Frances liked to keep busy, so after retirement, she took courses at Passaic County Community College and for several years participated in the Easter Seals an Pathstone Programs for seniors, where she worked at the Paterson Employment Office, recruiting and onboarding seniors looking for work. She was an election poll worker for nearly ten years and a Nutritional Program Site Manager at the YWCA of Montclair/North Essex.

During this time, Frances took lessons and learned how to play the organ. Seeing how dedicated she was, her daughters purchased an organ so she could practice her music.

Frances was very civic-minded and believed in fairness. She attended the 1963 March on Washington, where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the infamous, I Have A Dream speech. Her daughters recall seeing her on TV during the airing of the speech.

Throughout the years, she volunteered for several organizations to help those in need such as the Salvation Army, Rural Opportunities, the YWCA of Paterson and as a Mediator for nearly ten years for the Passaic County Municipal Court Mediation Program, for which she received Judicial Volunteer Awards from the Superior Court Passaic Vicinage and the City of Paterson Mayor's Office.

Frances was also active in church organizations. In her earlier years, as a member of Saint Aiden's Episcopal Church, where she was baptized and confirmed, she was a member of the Women's Club. She helped organize Tom Thumb weddings, cotillions, and her much-sought-after tea sandwiches for the annual Palm Sunday tea that was requested for many years. Later, she became a member of Second Baptist Church and was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church, Golden Keys.

Frances loved to sew, cook, and create. She took up crafting, making tissue boxes and holiday ornaments, among other things, which she sold or gave as gifts. Wherever she went, she always made a friend or two and encouraged group get-togethers where she could always be counted on to provide tasty hors d'oeuvres. As a resident in her senior building, she was an avid dominoes player, and she loved trying new recipes and enjoyed many different types of food.

She was predeceased by her parents, Benjamin and Julia Davenport, sisters, Beatrice Lewis, Virginia Lee, and Joan Davenport, nieces, Audrey Davenport and Ronchella Lewis, and former husband, Ralph Hall, with whom she remained friends until his death.

Frances will be missed by her daughter, Catherine Bolder, and son-in-law, Robert Bolder of Montclair, daughters Theresa Hall of Paterson and Susan Hall of Secaucus, sister, Julie Davenport of East Orange, granddaughter Crystal Bolder Harris and her husband, August Harris III, great-grandchildren, Madison Harris and August Harris IV, nephews Kevin Lewis of New York, Ronald Davenport of Bloomfield, and Jason Hall of Paterson, great nieces Tenaj Davenport of Newark and Leah Deas of Prospect Park and great nephew Jay-Mylon Davenport of Paterson and great- great nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

Frances was an amazing woman. She was admired by all and envied by some for her ease in engaging people, the passion for achieving excellence in everything she did, and the love she spread to everyone she touched. She truly let her little light shine.