Frances West-Deputy

She was a mother, sister, grandmother, friend, and force to be reckoned with by all who knew her.

Frances was born on February 18, 1952 to Sophie and John Duncan in Vidalia, Georgia. A bouncing baby girl, she was the ninth of ten children and was a happy addition to the Duncan family.

As a child of four years old in Mount Vernon, Frances would stand by the side of the road waiting for cars to go by so that she could wave at them. Unfortunately for her, there was only about one car a week for her to greet. Her family knew that she was destined for big things, and that small town life was not for her.

Growing up as a tall and skinny girl, she earned the nickname Lizard, which stuck. Lizard was blessed with olive skin and long dark hair, and never had to work very hard for attention, which she thrived on. Generally speaking, if there wasn't anything interesting or exciting happening, Lizard would get to work on that and have it sorted, post-haste.

When she was a teenager, Frances recalled that the boys always wanted her to play football with them. Once she figured out that they were mostly trying to see down her shirt, she used the opportunity to crush their spirits and out-run, out-pass, and out-score them every chance she got. In high school, Frances was a majorette, and enjoyed being a baton twirler and leading the marching band onto the field.

It was during a Montgomery County High School football game that she met John West. They were smitten with each other and began dating. The year was 1968; she was 16 and he was 18. They fell in love and were married in June of 1969. Frances's mother Sophie made John promise that Frances would finish high school, and they kept their word.

In 1970, at the age of eighteen, Frances began her 30 year career at AT&T in Vidalia, Georgia and moved to Savannah soon after. Her first and most memorable job there was as a switchboard operator, where she would help people connect with their loved ones and friends, and she'd keep children company who called the operator out of curiosity. She also had the opportunity to speak to several famous people such as Dr. Hook, Burt Reynolds, and John Wayne through the years. As her career progressed, she became a long distance operator, eventually being asked to train new hires and work in Global Real Estate.

In 1976, Frances welcomed the first of her two boys into the world, and she and John named him Trey. They spent time riding motorcycles, loved and rode a one-eyed horse named Peanut, and traveled to Disney World and camped in Fort Wilderness every chance they got. Frances had an orange Chevette, which she used to keep the roads warm.

In 1983, Frances and John divorced, and Frances and Trey moved to Atlanta, spurred by the breakup of AT&T into what would be known as the ‘baby Bells'. When given the choice to work for Southern Bell and stay in Savannah or work for AT&T and move to Atlanta, she chose Atlanta. Moving to Atlanta was fun, scary, and exciting. They explored the city in her blue Mustang, including many trips to Stone Mountain and Six Flags, and the two spent most evenings playing in the creek near their apartment in Doraville making ’frog houses'. Frog houses are made when you sort of wiggle your toes and feet into the wet sand, then carefully pile more sand on top. Once you gently pull your feet out, you have a bona fide frog house.

In late 1984, Frances met Michael “Mike” Deputy at The Hoss and Saddle, a country and western saloon on Buford Highway. Mike pursued her, she rebuffed him, and he persisted. It was a battle of wills between two of the most stubborn people you have ever met, and a relationship was born. She was 32 and he was 22. He bought her a red Mustang GT, which she used to keep the roads hot, barking the tires and laying drag whenever she had an audience to appreciate it.

Six years later, in 1990, Frances welcomed the second of her two boys into the world, and she and Mike named him Stephen. Frances, Mike, and Trey doted on Stephen and did their best to spoil him every chance they got. Frances and Mike's little family went to Six Flags, White Water, Stone Mountain, and most of all played and coached baseball, which Stephen had a gift for.

When it came to life in general, Frances was incredibly competitive. One of her fondest memories was of a disagreement between her and Mike around the roster for the baseball team they were coaching. Choice words were exchanged, which escalated into wagers. Frances ended up coaching her own team that season- as the only female coach in the league- and it was an all out war.

While the details of the Great Baseball War are not appropriate to write out, it is important to note that Frances's team won the Little League championship that year. She reminded Mike of that frequently.

While her passion for competition was strong, the only thing stronger was her love for her grandchildren, Kellan and Fi. She held Kellan all night the night he came home from the hospital, and he slept his first night at home in her arms. She cherished the responsibility of keeping Fi for several years, where the two of them got into lots of trouble, and loved every second of it- the getting into trouble part most. She was their LaLa.

She will be remembered most for her sense of humor, her independence, her free spirit, her kind and loving heart, and for her epic water balloon battles. No quarter was given.

Frances loved everyone, especially children and the elderly. She would often joke that only dogs and old men loved her with the same enthusiasm.

If you find yourself with your feet in the sand, make a frog house for her. She'd like that.

She is survived by her children Trey (Tiffany), Stephen (Missy); sister Kathy and brothers William (Phyllis) and Ronnie; granddaughter Ophelia (aka Feefer) and grandson Kellan; nieces Dana, Jill, Mandi, Shannon, Shea, and Susan, and nephews John, Josh, Kenneth, Michael, Mike, Sean, Shad, Shane, and Thad.

Grieving along with the family is her best friend Anne.

Frances was preceded in death by her husband Michael Deputy, father John Duncan, mother Sophie Duncan, sister Carolyn Jordan, brothers Randall, Alton, JD, Leonard, and Rabun Duncan, and nieces Tina Mariee and Jane.

A visitation for Frances will be held Saturday, December 10, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home. A celebration of life service will follow the visitation at 12:00 PM. Burial will be at Pine Ridge Memorial Park, which is adjacent to the funeral home.