Frances “Frannie” Starks Heyburn

LOUISVILLE - Frances “Frannie” Starks Heyburn, a Louisville native who was known for her infectious laugh, athleticism, spirit of adventure, and commitment to family, friends and community, died on April 11, 2024, at Masonic Home, following a brief illness. She was 98.

Frannie was a loving and engaged wife and mother who sought challenges, did not quit, and lived true to herself. She had a remarkable 44-year partnership with her husband, attorney Henry R. Heyburn, who died in 1991. They married in 1947, lived in

Cambridge, Massachusetts while Henry attended

Harvard Law School, then returned to Louisville, where they built a house on Leland Road in St. Matthews, which remained their home for the rest of their lives.

Frannie loved athletics and competition. At Louisville Collegiate School, she played field hockey, basketball, and tennis and in 2011 was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. She especially loved tennis, taking part in countless local and regional tournaments, often coming out on top. She continued to play into her 90’s and always encouraged others to be active.

With her four children, Frannie modeled curiosity, forthrightness, action, and a spirit of adventure. A typical outing might include bicycling to Seneca Park, wading in Beargrass Creek, looking for crawdads, exploring Big Rock, and then having a picnic lunch. Thanksgiving vacations almost always involved camping, including trips to the Smoky Mountains; Shiloh, Tennessee; Pioche, Nevada, and the Dry Tortugas off the Florida Keys, where there is no potable water.

Frannie and Henry made a point of finding time to travel together. Their trips were often noteworthy for their remoteness. They traveled to Baja, Antarctica, Patagonia, South Georgia, St. Helena, Isle Royale, and the Falkland Islands. Following the Falkland Islands War, they established the Kentucky Committee for the Falklands, which raised funds to assist with mine clearing. She and Henry also wrote two books about the Falklands. In 1961, before they set off for Baja in a four-wheel drive truck, Henry’s concerned mother asked for an itinerary, and the couple provided her with a detailed list of hotels, none of which actually existed.

Frannie was born Frances Powell Starks on January 18, 1926, to Franklin and Mary Gunn Powell Starks. Her father was the president of the Starks Building Company, which operated the Starks Building in downtown Louisville. Her mother managed the household. She attended Emmett Field Elementary School and then went on to Louisville Collegiate School, from which she graduated in 1943. Frannie attended Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts. She developed many close friendships at Collegiate and Smith. She was a lifelong champion of both schools.

She was predeceased by her eldest son, U.S. District Court Judge John Gilpin Heyburn II (Martha), and by her brother, Franklin Ferguson Starks, Jr. She is survived by three children, Franklin Starks Heyburn (Michele Gerin-Lajoie) of Calais, Vermont; Frances Heyburn Pistell (Joseph, deceased) of Stony Brook, New York; and Henry R. Heyburn, Jr. (Alicia) of Brunswick, Maine; nine grandchildren, William Arthur Heyburn, John Hail Heyburn, Claire Heyburn Gerin-Lajoie, Etienne Gerin-Lajoie Heyburn, Timothy Beard Pistell, Henry Heyburn Pistell, John Charles Pistell II, Caroline Holliday Heyburn, and Henry Nathaniel Powell Heyburn; and four great-grandchildren. Frances was the great great-granddaughter of Kentucky governor Lazarus Powell, who served from 1851-1855.

Frannie was a role model for many, although often unknowingly. She was a member of the Smith Club, the Louisville Country Club, Clear Creek Beagles, Bible Study Fellowship, the Colonial Dames, and the Junior League. She was often seen walking her dog down Chenoweth Lane, inevitably in shorts, no matter what the weather. She once described being stopped by a stranger who said, “Ma’am, we’ve never met, but I just wanted to say, that’s one lucky dog.”

Visitation will be from 4:30-6:30 pm on Friday, April 19 at St. Francis in the Fields Church, 6710 Wolf Pen Branch Road, Harrods Creek, KY, where Frannie tended the courtyard garden for years.

Her funeral will also be there, at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 20. A reception will follow. Burial will be afterward at Cave Hill Cemetery.

Donations in her memory may go to Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, PO Box 130, Clermont, KY 40110, or to the charity of your choice.