“With long life, I will satisfy her and show her my salvation.” Psalms 91: 16

Frances Louise Adell James, daughter of the late George Allen and Mary Frances Thompson Gray, was the youngest of fifteen children. She was born on May 4, 1923, in the large yellow house built by her father in 1916 on his thirty-seven-acre farm in the Shiloh District of King George County, Virginia. She peacefully departed this life at her home in Montross, Virginia, on January 17, 2025, where she resided with her granddaughter Evelyn Huntington for the past seven years.

Frances accepted Christ as her savior early on and was an active member of Good Hope Baptist Church until, in the 1940s, she migrated to Baltimore, Maryland, with most of her immediate family. She reaffirmed her faith in Christ and joined Wayland Baptist Church, where she was active for over 50 years until her return to Virginia when she renewed her membership with Good Hope. She took great pride in receiving the title “Mother of the Church.”

Frances was educated in segregated schools in Virginia and Baltimore. Although she excelled intellectually, personal and societal circumstances prevented her from obtaining a high school diploma. Yet, like her forbears, she instilled a love of education in her descendants, who attended colleges from HBCUs to Harvard and obtained bachelor’s to Ph.D. degrees and post-doctoral certificates. Granddaughter Evelyn even graduated from Hamburger College and spent years working as a manager in several fast-food establishments.

Like her parents, Frances had an entrepreneurial spirit. In the 1950s, she owned and operated a restaurant on the corner of Monroe and Penrose Streets in Baltimore. It became a hot spot for up-and-coming acts such as Gladys Knight and the Pips.  Unfortunately, in 1957, a near-fatal car accident left her in a full-body cast for almost a year. After her recovery, she opened a snowball stand until she found full-time work in the nursing field. Choosing nursing over domestic work was easy for her. “I wanted to help people who truly needed help,” she once stated. Frances found employment with several health facilities, retiring from Franklin Square Hospital in 1988.

Frances was a member of the Rosebud Charity Club, comprised of seven sisters and one niece. Their mission was to give back to the community through charitable deeds to improve the lives of those in need. Their multi-state philanthropic efforts expanded over five decades. Niece, Dr. Pamela Simpkins aptly articulated the centrality of these women’s selfless deeds, stating, “They are now all together in heaven gathered around a table having a Rosebud club meeting. Jesus is the only item on the agenda.” Indeed.

Frances was both “tom boy” and “lady”. She always loved nature; She enjoyed climbing trees or spending time at the stream on her parents’ farm. But Frances disliked household chores and often gave her mother and sisters the slip. She would secretly saddle up a horse and ride for hours to avoid doing housework. As she matured, she became a fashion icon, inspired by Hollywood idols Pearl Bailey, Lena Horne, and Dorothy Dandridge. Frances turned heads as she sashayed in her fancy dress, jewelry, gloves, high heels, and furs. Oh, how she loved furs! Glamor notwithstanding, she did not tolerate foolishness, especially from men. Frances was gangsta! Her two husbands learned that the hard way.

Frances was highly creative and enjoyed numerous hobbies, including crocheting, knitting, and sewing. Without formal training, she created patterns and made clothes for herself, and her daughter modeled after clothing from paper dolls or outfits she saw while window shopping.

Frances personified the adage, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Her favorite place for treasure hunting was The Goodwill, which she called “our store.” Rummaging sales or finding something thrown out on the street instantly put her in her happy place. Like a diamond in the rough, she could transform anything, no matter how damaged, into something beautiful.

Frances loved animals. Her favorite pets were white toy puddles, goldfish, rabbits, and parakeets.

Her favorite television shows were Judge Judy and Walker Texas Ranger. Frances believed that anyone who disliked Walker, “Just don’t know how to watch him.”

One of her favorite sports was baseball. She loved the Orioles. Watching her and her siblings huddling around a transistor radio listening to a game on Uncle Si’s porch was a sight to behold as the full range of human emotions permeated the atmosphere.

She had an equal love for fishing. Although she could not swim, Frances lived to be on the water. She often dreamed of owning a yacht and beachfront property. Whenever we were out for a drive and happened upon a body of water, she would say, “Ooooooo, look at the water,” as if she was a child seeing water for the first time. Frances loved pier fishing but preferred deep-water fishing. Her motto was “Eat, Sleep, Fish.”

In 2010, Frances’s life came full circle when she returned to Virginia to live, first with her daughter in Colonial Beach and then with her granddaughter in Montross. She remained active through the waning years of her ninth decade. She caught the shuttle three days a week to attend the Westmoreland Senior Center. Her favorite activity at the center was a card game called “Kings in a Corner.” She taught many of us how to play. She ensured we understood the game perfectly, and then she would beat us unmercifully while laughing and talking smack. Talk about competitive.

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted and limited her social activities. Thankfully, on May 6, 2023, friends and family gathered in Baltimore for a celebration of a lifetime, Frances’s 100^th birthday. The joy on her face was priceless.

Affectionately called Mama, Grandma, Grandmother, Mom-Mom, and Aunt Fran, Frances valued family above everything. She was indeed a phenomenal woman!

Frances leaves to cherish her memory one daughter, Dorothy Kendall; five grandchildren, Dexter A. Wade (Joanne) of Baltimore, Maryland, Sidney J. Hurst of Baltimore County, Maryland; Evelyn Huntington (Michael “Bert” Jones), Arica L. Coleman (Tracy) of Newark, Delaware, and Special K. Kendall of Savannah, Georgia; thirteen great-grandchildren, twenty-one great-great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews too numerous to count.

The family will receive friends from 11a-1p, Saturday, February 1, at Good Hope Baptist Church in King George.  A funeral service will begin at 1p followed by burial in church graveyard.

Don’t cry for me
Don’t shed a tear
The time I shared with you will always be
Though I’m physically gone

You must carry on

Do not spend your days in sorrow

For as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow

I am always near, never far
So, don’t cry for me