Frances Smith Lee, 97, of Athens, Ohio, passed away on August 23, 2024.
Fran was born on November 21, 1926 to Clarence & Ella Smith in the small town of Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska. In her teens, she moved with her family to Youngstown, Ohio, where they lived briefly before settling in Long Beach, California.
In 1949, Fran married James “Jim” Lee, who had returned from the Army Air Force after the war. The couple then resided in Utah, Arizona, and Wisconsin before embarking on the first of many overseas adventures. Over the years, they lived in South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, and were able travel much of the globe during that time. Fran taught first grade (and later ESL classes) overseas. The family eventually settled in Athens, Ohio, where Jim was a professor and Fran taught classes after earning a Master’s degree in Linguistics.
To their four children and the young Ethiopian lad who came to live with them, Fran was the “glue” that held the family together. Never one to seek attention, she saw to everyone’s needs with love and kindness, and set a parenting example that her kids would later strive to follow.
Fran always delighted in the company of animals. Over the years, the household also included (besides dogs and cats): monkeys, baboons, miniature antelopes, tortoises, goats, horses, and birds. (Towards the end of her life, the list was down to her beloved chihuahua Taco, who was rarely to be found more than a few feet away from her.)
For many years, Fran was an avid bridge player, and she kept her mind sharp with crossword puzzles and word games on her computer. If you challenged her to a game of Scrabble – even in her later years – you wouldn’t expect to win!
Fran was preceded in death by Jim after 61 years of marriage, and by her older brothers Jack and Clarence Smith, and by a grandson, Morgan Lee. She is survived by her children Mark (Glynis) Lee, Hilarie (Mark) Burhans, Stacy (Nick) Lee, and Neal (Jennifer) Lee, and their brother Alemu (Askale) Shura. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the staff at The Lindley Inn and OhioHealth Hospice for their wonderful care.
There will be a celebration of Fran’s life, to be announced at a later date.
