Frances H. Ingraham

Frances Mae Ingraham, 96, (nee Hunter), passed away peacefully early Friday, April 11, 2025 at St Elizabeth’s Hospice unit in Edgewood, Kentucky.  She was preceded in death by her husband Eugene L. Ingraham, Jr (of Hartford, CT), sister Velma Alden, sister Phyllis Weider and brother Richard Hunter. Survivors include her sons Richard Lee (Quella) Ingraham of Florence, KY, Edward Hunter (Patty) Ingraham of Frederick, MD, and Eugene Francis Ingraham of Rockville, MD. She is also survived by five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Born in Washington, DC, on January 30, 1929, Frances was a teen-ager during World War II, making her a member of America’s “Greatest Generation.”  Like her parents, her husband, and her husband’s parents, she was a dedicated, life-long member of the Ladies Auxiliary Patriarchs Militant of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), holding several high-ranking positions.  She also earned the coveted Declaration of Chivalry degree for her devotion to Odd Fellowship.

Frances met Gene at a young adults’ event at Emory Methodist Church, and the two were married in 1952. Fran was the love of Gene’s life. He rarely told her “no,” and he frequently gave her a box of Russel Stover’s candies and a collectible porcelain Hummel figurine to remind her of his love. When Fran became pregnant with their first son, she resigned from her position in the CIA (code name: “Priscilla”…don’t ask what happened in France, she won’t tell). After their third son entered elementary school, Frances became a para educator working as a librarian’s assistant at Wheaton High School (the school her sons attended). She served students in three Montgomery County high schools during her 28-year career. When they vacationed, they usually motored along America’s highways, Gene at the wheel, Fran navigating with the AAA TripTik in her lap. After they retired in 1990, they traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, fulfilling various duties with the Odd Fellows.

In 1993, Gene and Fran relocated to northern Kentucky (near Cincinnati, OH) and enjoyed a pleasant, fulfilling retirement together. Interestingly, in 2013, Frances spent three weeks in hospice care, genuinely believing that the Lord was calling her home. The Lord, however, had other plans, and Fran “graduated” from hospice care, and returned to Gene, her kids, and her grandkids. Gene died in 2015, and Frances soldiered on (in her Hunter family tradition) for another ten years, rebounding from several physical ailments, only to fall short of her not-so-secret goal of reaching 100-years-old by forty-five months.

Frances was a faithful member of three churches throughout her long life, Emory Methodist Church (Washington, DC), Glenmont United Methodist Church (Glenmont, MD), and Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY). She sewed her own clothes most of her life, snacked on popcorn or Brach’s candy corn, and in the evening, loved watching musicals and westerns on television, and became an avid Cincinnati Reds baseball fan in her later years. She particularly enjoyed helping the boys set up the American Flyer toy trains each Christmas for the enjoyment of others. Family reunions (either Hunter or Ingraham) were cherished events. Among other things, Fran was known for her delicious potato salad in the summer, and her fudge and Divinity candy at Christmas. When visiting Fran, one could expect to be offered fresh baked cake (yellow with white icing), chocolate chip cookies, or her unbeatable apple pie (White House canned apples only, please).

Without the benefit of an instruction manual, Fran and Gene nurtured their three boys through high school, college, paper routes, Boy Scouts, youth group, girlfriends, marriages, and divorces. They supported their sons into adulthood and parenthood. They reveled in the boys’ successes and agonized with them through their setbacks. They were so proud of the things their children and grandchildren accomplished. Nothing made Fran happier than being surrounded by her sons and her sons’ best friends, all of whom called her “mom.” Male or female, young or old, if you were loved by Rich, Ed, or Gene, then you were loved by Fran.

Hers was a life well lived…may we all be as fortunate as Fran.

Visitation will be held Thursday April 17, 2025 from 10am to 10:30am with funeral services to follow at Linnemann’s Funeral Home at 1940 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY 41005. Burial will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Erlanger KY. Memorial contributions in Fran’s name can be made to The Reds Community Fund, attn. Matthew Wagner, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati, OH, 45202-4109 or to the charity of your choice. Online condolences can be made at www.linnemannfuneralhomes.com