Frances Duncan Cheatham

October 19, 1924 – March 8, 2014

Frances passed away in Austin, Texas, after a brief illness. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to William B. and Pearl Butler Duncan, who moved the family to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1931. She attended Auburn University before meeting and marrying World War II naval aviator Donald C. Cheatham, also of Birmingham, with whom she raised five children. His career with the U.S. space program took them to Tidewater, Virginia and eventually to Houston and Seabrook, Texas, before their retirement to Lakeway, in 1982. Both loved Lakeway for its strong sense of community as well as its great natural beauty, and after Don's death in 1986, Frances remained there for the rest of her life, noting that she had never felt more truly at home anywhere else. She was a long time member of the Lakeway Church.

Frances was a devoted wife and mother, an exceptionally talented seamstress and crafter, a diligent gardener and an avid golfer. She would drop whatever else she was doing in order to help a friend at a time of need, and was widely known for her energy and willingness to take on projects large and small. Her generous hospitality to foreign visitors sparked some wonderful international friendships.

Frances was predeceased by her parents, husband, two sisters (Betty Ann Gilbert and Carolyn Lott) and brother William B. Duncan, Jr. Survivors include her eldest sister, Catherine Felder, as well as her five children and their families: Linda Cheatham of Washington, D.C.; Dru Pipkin (Marvin) of San Antonio and Fredericksburg, Texas; Peggy Patton (Gary Smith) of New Braunfels, Texas; Richard T. Cheatham (Jean Anne) of Dallas, Texas; and Becky Smith (Greg) of Cedar Park, Texas; plus ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Special thanks to the staff members at The Summit – and most especially to Gabby Johnson, Claudia Gaytan, Jesse Duran and Sandy Pesina – for their care and friendship during her six years there.

A memorial service will be held at The Lakeway Church at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 15, 2014. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that memorial donations be sent to The Lakeway Church Missions Fund, 2203 Lakeway Blvd., Lakeway, Texas 78734.