Frances “Fran” Ann (Grear) Hunter lived a beautiful life and shared an amazing legacy with her late-husband, Philip. Married for 62 years before his passing in 2014, they shared a life of love, laughter, family, and travel. Fran was reunited with the love of her life on April 25, 2022, after a brief period at the Cumberland Hospice House in Crossville, Tennessee. She spent her last weeks surrounded by family and friends, sharing stories, birdwatching, and laughing together.
Frances was born to the late Newton Kinzer Grear and the late Sarah Frances Grear on September 8, 1935, in Memphis, Tennessee. She married Philip “Phil” R. Hunter, Jr. on August 3, 1952, and they lived around the world together, raising a family and serving our country with the United States Navy. They moved to Crossville, Tennessee from San Diego, California after retiring from the service in 1987. Here they formed lifelong friendships and ministered to others through their church, Central Baptist.
Fran loved time spent with her “girls”—and she had many—her daughters, granddaughters, great granddaughters, and countless others she loved like her own. She was especially fond of her Anna’s Girls/Domino buddies and the time they spent having fun and eating chocolate “to keep them going”. Fran adored her grandchildren and especially enjoyed the weeks they spent at Camp Gramma & Grampa every summer.
Fran was preceded in death by her husband, Phil, sister-in-law, Pamela Grear, and son-in-law, Andrew Perry. She is survived by her daughters, Vicki (Worth) Hunter Carlson and Lyssa (Brian) Hunter Perry, son Steven (Charise) Hunter, six grandchildren, Erin and Keith (Jamy) Hunter, and Cameron, Kendrick, Kolbe and Karah Perry, three great-grandchildren, Bailey, Kali, and Kason Hunter, her brothers, Dale and Don (Sheri) Grear, and sister-in-law, Pamela Hunter Dyerson.
Visitation will be held at Central Baptist Church, Crossville, Tennessee on Friday, April 29, at 2:00 PM with a Celebration of Life following at 3:00 PM. Burial will be at City Cemetery of Crossville immediately following the service. The family is being served by Crossville Memorial Funeral Home (CrossvilleMemorial.com).
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Fran’s honor to the Cumberland Hospice House (CumberlandHospice.com), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (StJude.org), The Gideons International (Gideons.org) or The Toy Store Ministry at Central Baptist Church (CBCcrossville.org).