A Great Woman Gone

Valda Nadine Fish, the mother of one of my schoolmates, died recently.  I called her Mrs. Francis but many called her Valda or Val.  She taught me that any person's beliefs other than yours was "bullshit" and thus we should follow our own paths, not paths others want us to take (if only I had taken her advice more often!).  Valda smoked cigars, invited heated (but civil) conversations and told funny stories about her life away from her "home" community.

Growing up, I felt like a global traveler because of the tales that Valda and Robert shared - they opened my eyes to the world at large.

They lived the life they wanted, showing me the contrast between their adulthood spent in nonmilitary government service overseas and the adulthood of my family spent in military government service overseas.

We serve our species in many ways, all of them important.

Valda/Mrs. Francis, I raise a glass of domestic red wine in memory of you!

 KINGSPORT — Valda Nadine Fish, passed away at Holston Manor Nursing Home on Thursday (May 27, 2010) after a valiant battle with Alzheimer’s.

   Val was born in Sullivan County on May 26, 1935, and graduated from Sullivan High School, in the class of 1953. She traveled extensively with her husband, Foreign Service Officer Robert Joseph Francis. The couple lived in Brazil, India, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Ariz. They retired to Kingsport in the early 1970s, where they built a home construction business together.

   She is preceded in death by husband, Robert J. Francis; a stepdaughter, Clair Richards (Huntsville, Ala.); brothers, Lloyd Fish and Merwyn Fish (both of Kingsport) and Sidney Fish (Rome City, Ind.); and her parents, Simon and Georgia Fish (Kingsport).

   She is survived by a son, Joseph David Francis (Houston, Texas); stepson, Walton Francis (Fairfax, Va.); stepdaughter, Elinor Francis (Shushan, N.Y.); brother, Aubrey Fish (Kingsport); and a sister, Lyndall Hite (Kingsport); eight grandchildren.

   The family wished to convey their deepest appreciation to caregiver Kay Kimbler for her years of service providing special comfort, love, and care for Val.

   Private memorials will be held at a later date by the family in Kingsport and in Washington, D.C.

   In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be sent to Alzheimer’s Association of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, (207 N. Boone St., Johnson City, Tenn.), in Valda’s name or to a charity of your choice.

   Serving the family of Valda Francis is Snyder’s Funeral Home of Gray, Tenn.