Frances Fletcher Lea

Frances Fletcher Lea, 77, passed away at her home in Orange, Virginia, on February 4, 2018, after a battle with ALS. She was born in Madison, Virginia, to Francis P. Smith, III and Anne Buckner “Nancy” (Fletcher) Smith and was the granddaughter of Martha Ball (Buckner) and William Meade Fletcher of Rappahannock County and Ellie Carpenter and Francis Percival Smith, Jr. of Madison.

Frances attended school in Madison before leaving home to attend St. Mary’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attended Hollins College and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston University. She earned a master’s degree in economics at the University of Arkansas, where she also completed doctoral work in economics and marketing, the latter under the tutelage of William R. Darden.

During her years in Arkansas, Frances established a grantsmanship center at Westark Community College (now University of Arkansas at Fort Smith), served numerous state and local clubs, committees and commissions including the Junior League of Fort Smith, the Heritage Foundation, the Fort Smith City Planning Commission, and the Fort Smith Rose Society, and was given many honors, including “Outstanding Economic Developer of Arkansas.” After returning to Virginia, she was a member of the Orange Downtown Alliance board, the Town of Orange Planning Committee, the James Madison Museum board, the Rapid Ann Garden Club and the Dolley Madison Garden Club. She was a member of multiple state and national economics and marketing education review and standards panels.

For over 50 years, Frances taught Economics at Westark, Germanna and Piedmont Virginia Community Colleges, and was a pioneer in the field of online education. She owned a market research firm, Complete Marketing Services, and consulted for U.S. Intelligence. She was an enthusiastic traveler and enjoyed getting off the beaten path to explore the world. In both her travels and everyday life, she enjoyed and inspired a diverse company.

Frances is survived by her son, Daniel (Honey) Bedell of Davenport, Iowa; her daughter Catherine Lea of Orange, Virginia; her daughter Virginia (Mitch) Blaser of Cape Town, South Africa; her grandchildren, Anna, Sarah, Rebecca, Benjamin, Connor, Ian, Abigail and Isabella; her sister, Anne Meade (Harold) Faulconer of Orange, Virginia; and her brother, Thomas P. (Fay) Smith of Madison, Virginia.

Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Carlyle (T.C.) Lea, Jr.

Frances was a proponent of volunteerism and a donation of your time toward a community organization would be a fitting tribute to her memory. The family also suggests memorial contributions to the Arts Center in Orange or to the ALS Association DC/MD/VA Chapter.

A Memorial Service is scheduled for Saturday, February 10, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Orange, Virginia, with a reception to follow at her home.