Frances Johnson McElveen

Hartsville, SC

Our mama Frances Johnson McElveen joined her husband Don in her heavenly home on Friday, February 7th, 2025. She was in our family home with her family. Mama was 93 years young. 

She was born on October 16,1931 in Johnsonville, SC to her parents Mabel and Victor Johnson and was the baby of 8 children. She was a loving wife to her husband for 63 years, loving mama to Donnie McElveen (Ginny), Eastover,  Terri Cline (Ken), Lexington,  Gayle Alexander (Sam), Hartsville and the baby Angie Bouknight (Kevin), Lexington; grandmother to Scott (Evan), Leslie, Will (Suzette), Denise (Landon), Stephen (Ally), Heather, Donald (Kristen), Graham (Ashley), Hilary and Justin (Amber); and great-grandmother to Elizabeth, Banks, Sullivan, Elsie, Harper, Ryleigh, Peighton, Camden, Judah, Mary Kate, Brayden, Brooks and Sutton. Mama enjoyed working in her yard, reading books, playing word search and time with her large family. 

In addition to her parents, mama was preceded in death by her loving husband Ernest Donald McElveen and grandson Johnnie Kevin Bouknight Jr. (Jay) and 7 siblings as well as many other family members and dear friends.

She was a member of West Hartsville Baptist Church for most of her life. This past December she received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Coker University where she had been a college student and an employee for 22 years plus. 

She had a passion of growing beautiful roses, and so many different kind of flowers in her yard, better known as her Garden. She loved sharing her flowers with others and many of her family and friends have flowers from her making their gardens beautiful and special. She was a member of the Magnolia Garden Club where she learned more about flowers, shared rooting’s from her flowers and made special friends who shared her passion. Hydrangeas had become her absolute favorite flower and her yard is amazing when all her hydrangea plants are in bloom!!

She was also passionate about her desire to help find a cure for Cancer so for over 27 years she was a faithful volunteer who worked hard at raising funds for the American Cancer Society through her work with the annual Relay for Life Cancer Walk. As she aged she was able to continue her volunteering through the help of her dear friend Kathy McFarland who also shared her passion for finding a cure; however, because of health reasons 2023 was the last one she was able to participate in.

Our family would like to give a special thank you to her very special caregivers; Betty Johnson, Patricia McCall, Christina Watford and to Crescent Hospice for all the love, tenderness and care they showed mama daily.

 A Celebration of Life will be held 3:00pm Monday, February 10, 2025 at the West Hartsville Baptist Church.  Pastor Kevin Walters will officiate.  Visitation will be held 2:00-4:00pm on Sunday at Norton Funeral Home.  Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery, directed by Norton Funeral Home.

Norton Funeral Home and Crematory are honored to be of service to the McElveen family.

"Memories are the Legacy of Love"