Frances Phillips Barrett's Obituary
Frances (Fran) Phillips Barrett, 89, died peacefully Thursday, October 20, 2022 succumbing to a long battle with cancer and heart disease.
Fran was born to Jim and Gertrude Phillips July 2, 1933 in Richmond, Virginia. After one year at Longwood College, Farmville, Virginia, she adventured out to California to stay with her sister Betsy, then took a marketing job with Lane Bryant Clothing, traveling & opening new stores in Denver & Boston. While home visiting “mother and daddy”, a family friend recruited her to join Thalhimer’s Department Stores and open their newest store in Charlottesville, VA.
Never one to miss a good outing, Fran was invited to a polo match hosted by the newly organized polo club in Charlottesville. There she met a handsome Carl Barrett and his two polo ponies Ginger & Chesapeake. Fran had ridden and enjoyed horses as a teenager so horses were certainly an additional joy the two shared. They married March 15, 1957, mom stopped working and began raising their young family in Crozet Va. Carl was offered a job in Northern Virginia so up they moved in 1967.
Once settled in McLean, VA, Fran wanted to get back into the work world starting again with driving a small bus for a private school to work around her family needs. By 1970 she found her calling and got her real estate license, thus setting out on her own exciting career course in life.
Naturally charming and engaging, she found the world of real estate offered her great satisfaction. She worked new home sales with some of the best builders in the industry including Robert “Bob” J Lewis & Giuseppe Cecchi.
Fran’s last 16 work years with Mr. Cecchi’s IDI company included successful large-scale marketing and sales both in Maryland and Virginia. She retired at age 78 but never lost her passion for talking floorplans, footprints & market segments.
Fran was a strong & determined woman who did not let life’s setbacks derail her dreams & aspirations. She loved the holidays, Easter & Christmas were happy family gathering times that she made happen. Nanny, as she was nicknamed, especially loved her grandchildren and spent as much time with them as she could, attending school events, graduations & family gatherings.
Fran is predeceased by her husband, Carlton Alexander Barrett, Jr.; and special needs grandson, James “Jimmy” Edwin Lewin, III. Nanny and Jimmy shared a deep mutual love and much joyful time together.
She is survived by her sister, Elizabeth “Betsy” Russell; her three children, Carol (Jim) Lewin, Carlton Alexander Barrett, III, Mary (Tim) Peksa; grandchildren, Nicolle Peksa, Victoria Peksa, Tyler Barrett and Matthew Barrett.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. on October 25, 2022 at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel, 850 Sperryville Pike, Culpeper, VA. Interment will follow at Culpeper National Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to your favorite charity. Fran loved and was a member of Galilee UMC, The Chapel, Lansdowne Virginia and spread her volunteerism among Blossoms & Bloom Thrift Store (benefiting individuals with special needs) Leesburg Virginia and Capital Caring Health of Northern Virginia (Hospice).
At a future date, a gathering will get scheduled and take place at Lansdowne!!
An online guestbook and tribute wall are available at www.foundandsons.com
Found and Sons Funeral Chapel of Culpeper is serving the family.
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