Vivid character loved books and epic films
RAISED BY HER GRANDPA, FRANCES WAS A STRONG CHARACTER WHO HAD A LIFE-LONG LOVE OF LEARNING
LATER this year when the threat of Covid-19 is hopefully a distant memory, Natalie Galloway will celebrate the life of her aunt Frances in a way she would have loved. Surrounded by her friends, sharing laughter, good conversation and food that would have appealed to her notoriously sweet tooth. “Frances helped run a Tuesday social club in Butetown, Cardiff, where she was born and raised, with her good friend Josie. It was named after one of her favourite sitcoms, The Golden Girls,” Natalie, 68, explains. “I’m going to organise a cream tea for the members, with prosecco. I want to give people a chance to say a proper goodbye.” Frances, who never married, was a vivid character who brought energy, colour and a lifelong love of learning to the world around her. “She was spirited, forthright and fearless,” niece Natalie recalls fondly. “There was only 15 years between us, and growing up I’d say we had a challenging relationship, but later we were very close. She used to tell people that I was the daughter she never had. She was very kind to me.” Frances’s father, John Smith Davids, came from Liberia and her mother from Liverpool, but was living in Cardiff. Frances was the youngest of three children along with her brother John, and Natalie’s mother, Prudence. Tragically the siblings lost their mum when Frances was only six herself. Natalie then went on to grow up in the same house as her aunt, because she was raised by her grandfather, Frances’s dad, John Smith Davids. “She was always a strong character,” Natalie says. “I remember her taking myself and my cousin Eric to see epic films like Alexander the Great and the Magnificent Seven at Ninian Cinema in Cardiff’s Penarth Road.” Natalie’s son Ethan, 37, a music publisher, says this love of historical movies sits alongside Frances’s love of travel, books, good comedy and crime dramas. “She also had a real passion for global cuisine and culture, especially from Japan and China,” he says. “She wasn’t the best cook, but she had numerous cookery books and she’d mark the recipes she said she wanted to make some day. “Even after she became wheelchair bound in the summer of 2019 following a nasty fall, and moved into Romilly Road care home in Cardiff, her mind was still very sharp. “I was clearing her flat out earlier this year and was fortunate enough to spend quality time with her not long before we lost her. She was always recommending books for me to read. I learned a lot from her.” Frances, who had originally trained as a fabric cutter after leaving school at 15, did many different jobs over the years, including working in a cigar factory, for Panasonic in Newport, and in a restaurant in Belgium, where she lived for eight years. When she retired, Frances joined the Senior Citizens Club at Butetown Community Centre, where she and Josie later organised day trips and Christmas celebrations. She was constantly surrounded by friends, many of whom turned out to pay their respects as her funeral cortege passed through Butetown on May 7. “Frances loved music and was passionate about rugby and her Welsh roots,” Ethan says. “At her funeral we played Don’t Make Me Over by Dionne Warwick, and I spoke about just how diverse her interests were. “My own son Theo is just four, but he was able to spend time with Frances and for that we’re grateful. When she became ill in late March she refused to go into hospital. She very sadly passed away after battling Covid-19 for several weeks. “I’ll miss her jokes, just sitting and talking. I thought she would be here forever, but we’re trying to remember the good times.”
She was spirited, forthright and fearless
Natalie Galloway, Frances’s niece