28 thoughts on “Nobody else has Frances”

  1. I am shocked and saddened to learn the news of Frances’ passing.
    She was a light in many people’s lives, was always there to help and had a
    ready smile for everyone. During our tennis event, she was a pillar of
    strength, calm, good sense and was tremendously loyal. I enjoyed working
    with Frances immensely. A very good tennis player too.

  2. Andrew, Kathy, Helen and I send our condolences and love to you, to Stephen and of course Geoffrey…her men! It is a sad moment, but her life was millions of happy moments in comparison; she was a wonderful person, wife, mother and friend. You must have so many lovely, happy and tender memories. I do and I was only her friend for a short space in our lives.

    She left a wonderful legacy and gave to the full during her lifetime. Those are what will keep away the sadness!

    Much love to you all

  3. I have many fond memories of Frances when we used to go to Elisabeth Dunning for French conversation sessions, and, of course, your parents let my husband and I stay at their former French property several years’ ago. Since your parents moved to France I have exchanged periodic emails with Frances. She would tell me all about you boys and your families as she was so proud of everything you did and achieved, and she was keen to hear news about my two sons. She was a wonderful wife, mother and friend. I feel fortunate to have known her.

  4. Frances to me was tennis. She was elegant, brilliant at tennis, always looked glamorous and was great fun.

  5. Your mum has given me a very supportive and easy friendship. We met late in life, have not necessarily been close but always had great fun and a lot to talk about when we met. Last time was on her last visit to la Herradura when we almost missed each other. We have just arrived in Krakow when your dads email arrived, I shall light a candle in church and think of her and you all.

  6. I have known Frances since we joined BOAC together. What fun we all had. And I will remember the many good times we all had.

  7. We first met in Hong Kong and,although we did not meet very often, Frances, Geoffrey, Greg and Steven were often in my thoughts – never more especially than during the tennis season.

  8. One of our treasured memories is her total surprise when you found the BBC tape in the its archives, showing her talent as a young tennis player at Wimbledon and gave it to her. We enjoyed seeing her play — a competitiveness never forgotten when she and I played WordFeud in French. We finished our last game on 9 January this year and didn’t play another game due to her illness. Having played 80 games against each other over the course of three years, Frances retired with a record of beating me 60% of the time! I will miss her email mutterings when I put a large scoring word on the board!

    1. She loved playing WordFeud with you! She will be glad that she won 😉 xxx

  9. Your Mother was a great friend and a lovely person. We will miss her. We always looked forward to seeing your mum and dad when we came out to France.

    We will always remember her sense of humour and the fact that she was an exceptional cook. In fact we will miss everything about her. We have lots of wonderful memories and shared many happy times.

  10. Although time spent together was all too limited, I recall with fondness the warm and generous hospitality extended to me by your Mum (and Dad of course) when visiting them in Ascot. Time spent in their company was always interesting and fun – and she could serve a mean G&T!

  11. I had been in touch with Frances spasmodically over the years and there was always the suggestion of going to see them in France one day. Sadly, it will not happen, and I am the poorer for it.

    She was a very special lady, and I have wonderful memories of the good times we used to have together doing the HK Tennis Classic – hard to believe it was around 30 years ago. She always had a smile and a good word for everybody, and I am fortunate to have worked with her then – the players’ lounge was always a fun place to be.

  12. Frances was always so elegant, interesting and interested – … she never seemed her age; playing Rummikub the other day so reminded me of her, her sense of humour and keen desire to win!

    Your mother was one of those rare people who leave an unforgettable imprint behind and I am sure that you will have many happy memories of her to help in the sadness.

  13. Frances was always such fun to be around! Although our paths/flights went in different directions after our BOAC years, we did get to meet often when you all spent some time in the UK. Frances was great at keeping us ‘up to date’ with all the family’s activities accompanied by photos – she was so proud of you all!

  14. Frances was my friend. Acquaintances come and go but a real friend is hard to find and when you do it lasts a lifetime. We met initially and not surprisingly through tennis in Hong Kong over 40 years ago but our mutual interests soon extended beyond tennis to books, antiques, music, fashion, food and of course our children and finally grandchildren. Frances had a real zest for life and never wasted a minute of it. It was a joy and privilege to be swept along by her interests and enthusiasm for all things. With a handful of items she could turn a room into an interior designer’s dream. With a few ingredients, a culinary delight. Her compassion and support for others was unbounded. She was simply ‘there’ when needed. A rare person of many talents and much humility. But how we laughed our way through those 40 years. We laughed on the tennis courts, we laughed at the antics of an all female club committee trying to keep the men under control, we laughed at ourselves. During the last few years we laughed by email. Life was fun with Frances and my world was a better place for her being in it. Rest in peace dear friend and thank you.

  15. I loved and admired Frances more than she would ever know. She had impeccable taste and taught me (a country hick!) everything about decoration and “placing things”. Loved watching her play tennis – she was so elegant – and I seem to remember she played for Lancashire. Sat by the Thames today (watching a granddaughter rowing in the school regatta) and thought of the lovely Frances. I remember your house on the river at Staines. She is now laid to rest in peace. Am thinking of you and send all my love.

  16. Frances was a lady who I was honoured to call a friend. Frances was the epitome of elegance, grace and wit. Organiser extra-ordinaire and her presence was the centre of any gathering. I will miss her greatly.

  17. I met Frances in 1958 when we were both working at Ringway Airport, I for BEA and she for Sabena. BEA handled Sabena but Frances and her very dear friend Raye were the Sabena representatives, and we met frequently when there were flights arriving from or departing to Brussels and New York. Ringway was a tiny intimate little airport in those days and we ground staff had to do everything – we were not just sitting at a desk as they do today. I liked Frances immediately. She was the most gorgeous, glamorous girl – (I would liken her to a beautiful, lithe panther!). She had great humour and charm, and for some unknown reason she liked me too so we became friends. She helped me choose the material for my wedding dress and introduced me to Aina Pavolini the designer who made the dress and my trousseau. We had such fun at the airport and it did not seem like work at all. She and I laughed such a lot! I left Ringway in 1964 and did not see Frances for many years but we kept in touch with Christmas cards, thus we kept up to date with one another’s lives. Then after my husband Alec died in 2006 she invited me to stay at their charming house in Minervois. She and Geoff were so kind, showing me round their bit of France. She cooked delicious meals, for cooking was another of her talents. Amongst other things we went to an antiques fair – Frances was very interested in antiques and always on the outlook for some amazing hitherto undiscovered painting. I would like to think she found one… And when I published my memoir in 2014, Frances was so enthusiastic and supportive. I miss her very much and can’t believe we won’t see her again. I count myself very lucky to have known her – it was indeed a privilege.

  18. We have only known Frances and Geoff since 2009 when we moved to live in their neighbouring village of Oupia. We didn’t know them well but we had the pleasure of spending many lovely times in their company on various occasions. We shall never forget the wonderful hospitality we were afforded at their home for a Christmas celebration a few years ago. Also when we visited Frances and Geoff’s beautiful Mediterranean garden we were so inspired to see what could be done with such devotion to detail. We attended Frances’s funeral yesterday, which was so moving and clearly her legacy is a close loving family. She was a beautiful and charming lady and it was an honour to have known her.

  19. It is with great sadness I hear that you lost your beloved mother. I remember the great times we had in Hong Kong. Your mother was always a great hostess. Your parents were our first houseguests in our house in San Diego. Our household goods had not arrived here and the only thing in the house were beds, 4 plates and 4 sets of cutlery. We had a great time. Thank goodness for the Internet and email. It doesn’t make the distance so great. I send you my deepest condolences.

  20. I knew Frances in Hong Kong many years ago and admired her style and her tennis. I looked up to her as I learned to play tennis. Frances became more of a friend and I then learned of her sense of fun and saw how she could make an ordinary flat into a wonderful home. She loved her sons and was a great mother. I have always kept an interest in Frances since we left Hong Kong and was greatly saddened to hear of her passing, she will be remembered by many friends.

  21. I was so sorry to hear that my beautiful Aunty Frances had passed away – there will be an extra bright star shining up in heaven now. My earliest memories of Frances was of her singing “Mr Wonderful” to my brother Andrew when he was just a few months old and being taken to the outdoor swimming pool in Manchester with her friend Raye. Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet frequently as we always seemed to be at different ends of the country and, indeed, the world. Growing up, I used to love receiving postcards and gifts from her various stopovers and always remember receiving, at the age of about 9 or 10 in the early 60s, a “sticky out” petticoat which she bought in Rio – I treasured it for many a year! As a teenager I used to quiz her as to which famous pop stars and groups she had met on her flights abroad.
    She has passed on her love of tennis to me – especially Wimbledon. It seems strange not e-mailing her with comments about the various matches we had watched. Frances (and Geoff) also got the McMurtrie family hooked on Rummikub – a family get-together wouldn’t be the same without spending a couple of hours playing “just one more game”! I have watched the link of her playing at Wimbledon several times over the last few days – she was so beautiful – both in looks and spirit and it was an honour to have her as my Aunty – she will be much missed by everyone who knew and loved her.

    1. Fiona, hello, I remember the day Frances brought you to the outdoor swim pool at castle mills Wilmslow, it was a good day , I remember Frances wore a black summer dress, which at the time I thought was very sophisticated, she has always kept me up to date with Andrew and yourself in Scotland . We used to exchange emails daily.
      Love to you Raye

  22. Alex and I met about six months before I met Frances for the first time … She welcomed me and my toddler daughter Marianne with open arms when we went to visit her and Geoff at Maison Palmiers. She had prepared well for our arrival, either borrowing equipment (cot, highchair, toys etc.) from friends or having bought it from a ‘vide grenier’. In addition she had also bought a few outfits for Marianne from Petit Bateau (her favourite).
    Of course, she also doted on Bertie when he came along.
    The two things that impressed me most about Frances was how she always looked immaculate, and her ability to effortlessly turn out beautiful meals. Indeed the last time I saw her was when she and Geoff came to us at Christmas – there she stood in our kitchen, in an elegant dress whipping up her beloved bread sauce. That was such a nice visit – she played Bird Bingo with the children, and took them to The Transport Museum – we also took her to her beloved Westfield for a spot of shopping.
    I loved her love for the 55 bus because it took her to John Lewis Oxford Street!
    I also loved it how she embraced her iPad from the day that Alex and Greg got it for her, it helped her stay connected with her many dear friends all over the world.
    It is so sad that we lost her during Wimbledon. Alex and I always used to joke that we were going to call her during a big Andy Murray match – that would not have gone down well! And she would have had so much to say about Brexit and the Chilcott Report …
    I heard from her less and less during those last months, but not long before she died a large package of beautiful clothing (from The White Company) for the children arrived. We treasure them.

  23. How can I describe Frances? Elegant, warm, open minded, fun, full of life, sometimes a bit shy, loyal, meticulous, curious, organised, clever – the list goes on. She could be a bit bossy in a very tentative way; she didn’t always appreciate my more casual and slap dash ways, but a quizzical look would usually do the trick.

    We shared a lot over the decade or so that I knew her: coffee and exhibitions, wine tasting and garden visits, cookery and language workshops, political debate and good clean gossip, meals …. But it’s her voice that I will always remember. “Hello, how are things in your world?” “Cherrie, we have to have a laugh!”.

    Together with others, we organised events for the association we both belonged to. Frances with her lists and boxes, organising superb decors and tasteful final touches that transformed drab rooms into stunning settings. Who could forget Tea Time, Soiree Jazz, or the triumph of the bagpiper at the International Meal? None possible without her eye and flair.

    Like so many others, I miss her. She was a feisty lady and my good friend.

  24. Frances was a lovely, glamorous and generous Godmother to me. As a child she felt like a fairy Godmother, as she always brought me the most gorgeous presents from all the exotic places she used to travel to, as an air stewardess. I wore a beautiful kimono that she bought me from the age of about 10 to age 45 (a lot shorter on me by then and starting to wear out) but it always made me think of her when I wore it. I remember her introducing me to baby corn on the cob when I was aged about 11 . I loved it and always think of that dinner with her when I buy a jar! It was great to spend Christmas day with her recently. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

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