Frances Jeanette Hughes

FRANCES JEANETTE HUGHES, 83, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 8, 2014, at her home in Memphis. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Dr. Walter T. Hughes, her daughter Carla Hunt of Memphis and two sons, Dr. Gregory S. Hughes of Memphis and Dr. Christopher B. Hughes of Pittsburgh, PA. Her five grandchildren, Taylor, Sarah and Austin Hughes of Pittsburgh, Amanda Hunt of Little Rock and Collin Hunt of Fayetteville, AR affectionately called her “Dearie”, a most fitting name. Her surviving sister, Mrs. Robert Baker (Laverna) lives in Los Angeles. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Skinner of Brownsville, TN and two sisters, Laurean Martin of Memphis and Mildred Bridgewater of Brownsville.

Born on December 19, 1930 in Stanton, TN, she often boasted humorously that she and Jesus were born in the same month. Jeanette was sunshine and laughter with a passion for family and home. She liked all people and found greatest joy in holding little babies in her arms. She regularly brought joy to children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with birthday cakes and parties. Since childhood Jeanette was obsessed with truth and honesty without reservation, virtues basic to her “tough love” philosophy. She insisted on grammatical correctness and relentlessly corrected the speech of her adult advanced-degree children and husband. She loved reading and writing poetry, gardening, and watching the river from her balcony. She was a beautiful person in every way.

While some 20 years of her life were spent in Louisville, KY, Cleveland, TN, and Baltimore, MD, her beloved Memphis was always home. She and Walter were married in 1957 at the First Methodist Church in Memphis, where they first met and where she was a member at the time of her demise. For a period of time she was a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis.

The family will receive friends on Monday, May 12, 2014 from 10:30 AM until the time of the service at 12:00 noon at The Memphis Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens, 5599 Poplar Ave. 38119. Burial will follow in the Chapel Hill Circle area of Elmwood Cemetery. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Building Fund for historic First United Methodist Church at 204 N. Second St, 38105.