Frances Inscoe

1937 - 2025

Frances Inscoe had many passions: for her family and community, for education and for women's rights. And she pursued them all with an energy and curiosity that seemed endless.

After a lifetime of service, Frances passed away peacefully on April 26, 2025, at Abernethy Laurels in Newton. She was 87 years old.

"She brought an enlightened compassion and concern to community problems," recalled Rev. Fred Thompson, a retired pastor from Newton.

Frances Reynolds Inscoe was born in Newton, NC on September 30, 1937, a year before her father, James "Rex" Reynolds co-founded Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home.

She attended Newton public schools, including Newton-Conover high school (Class of '55) where she played basketball and was in the marching band. From there she went on to study religion at UNC Chapel Hill, where she also marched in band. After graduating in 1958, she became the first woman from UNC to win a prestigious scholarship to the University of Gottingen in central Germany. But she wasn't done.

Next, she went to the University of Denver where in 1961 she earned a master's in international relations. Her thesis: "An Inquiry into the Thought of John Coleman Bennett Concerning the Problem of War: A Case Study in the Relationship of Christian Ethics and International Relations."

She returned to Newton and on September 30, 1961, Frances married her high school sweetheart, Bill Inscoe. She moved with him to the mid-west where he was finishing veterinary school at Oklahoma State University. They returned to Newton in 1962. She taught school until their second child was born in 1967.

Frances, one of the first female Elders at Newton's First Presbyterian Church, joined a friend in 1968 to set up the Christian Community Service Organization and create a day care for children of low-income families. It became the Love-N-Care Child Development Center. Frances was rarely at a loss for causes.

When Sally Sigmon's sister worked for the local office of the Farmer's Home Administration, which offered federal home loans, Frances was a frequent visitor. Sigmon remembers her sister recounting the times Frances would tell her about someone else in need.

"I know that she was always bending over backwards to help someone she had come in contact with," Sigmon recalls. "She would ask [my sister] if she knew of any way they could help people get a loan …. She was always for the underdog."

The Inscoes' marriage ended in 1976. Four years later Frances had another graduate degree: an Education Specialist, or Ed.S, from Appalachian State University. (She would also take courses at UNC Charlotte and Lenoir-Rhyne University.) Frances had returned to teaching at Newton-Conover High for a few years in the mid-1970s.

Frances was a strong advocate for women's rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. Barbara Haight, who grew up in Newton, said Frances was "so ahead of her time."

"(She was) the first woman I remember talking about women's rights, back in the early '70s," Haight said. Frances was also drawn to politics. In 1984, she ran unsuccessfully for the N.C. House. She was a Democrat in a strong Republican district.

In 1986, Frances moved to Raleigh where she worked for Wake County schools and later Lutheran Family Services where she helped Montagnard refugees. She returned to Newton in 1993 to care for her ailing mother.

She later worked as an ombudsman for the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. In that position she advocated for the rights of the elderly in nursing homes and adult care facilities.

Friends remember Frances as outgoing and personable. Haight said she was "interested and curious about everything. And such a wonderful conversationalist. She always made us feel special and worth her time and effort to stay connected."
But Frances would say that her "Greatest Joy" in life was her 4 grandchildren!

Frances was preceded in death by her parents, James Woodrow "Rex" Reynolds and June Bolick Reynolds, as well as her brother Jim Reynolds.

She's survived by her children, Lynette Inscoe (RaeAnn Hennes) and Rob Inscoe (Vickie); grandchildren Joseph, Callie, Tyler and Preston Inscoe. She's also survived by a sister, Norma Ko; a sister-in-law, Priscilla McRee; as well as nieces and nephews Jason Bollenbeck, Emily Bollenbeck, Kent Reynolds, Marc Reynolds, Ike McRee, Andy McRee and Susan Dubach.

A Celebration of Life service will be held 2:00 pm, Wednesday May 7, at First Presbyterian Church in Newton, with a reception to follow in the church's fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Presbyterian Church of Newton in remembrance of Frances Inscoe.