Alexandria — Frances Perry Jernigan, longtime resident of Alexandria, died at age 90 on Aug. 5, 2014. Her final months were peaceful, spent in the home built by her husband and son in 1977. From her kitchen window, she had a ringside seat for viewing the bird feeders and wildlife in her beloved patch of suburban woodland.
Frances was born in 1923 and spent her childhood in Washington D.C. As an only child, she enjoyed many family excursions to visit relatives and famous watering holes in the Virginia countryside. But a new world opened for her when her parents sent her off to summer camp for a month in the mountains. Most of all, she loved swimming in the lakes, hiking and camp lore, horseback riding and campfire songs.
Fran first attended college at Ole Miss, and then graduated from UNC with a degree in business and finances. She completed her degree just as World War II was ending, and jumped at the chance to board a ship for Tokyo, where she did financial work for the U.S. Government. Every free moment was spent traveling through the countryside, meeting as many Japanese people as she could despite the strict government taboo on interactions. She made friends with farmers after her horse, scared by a snake, went off the path and trampled some of their rice. Appalled, Fran found her way to the family’s home and offered to bring them virtually unattainable American commodities. In gratitude, the family gave her an heirloom doll, a Samurai warrior.
After returning Stateside, Fran married William Jernigan, a fellow Labor Department employee, in 1951. They settled in Alexandria to raise their three children. Both parents were involved in Alexandria civic issues: Bill had a series of law offices in Old Town, and Fran worked for many years as his legal secretary. Bill was on the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, and Fran was active with the Alexandria Lawyers’ Wives. They both had a great interest in how the city evolved through the ‘60s, with the development of the Potomac waterfront, and the creation of a downtown cultural core around Market Square. During this time, Fran volunteered as a driver for Meals on Wheels and FISH. Bill became involved in renovating historic Old Town properties. Fran continually put her skills with finances to use, serving as treasurer for Trinity Methodist Church, as well as doing freelance bookkeeping for many local Alexandria businesses.
After the children grew up, Fran and Bill began camping in New England. This gave Fran a chance to revel in the autumn woods and mountaintops, her lifelong pleasure. In 1979 they purchased an old farmhouse and some acreage bordering Acadia National Park in Maine. Bill died in 1981, and afterwards Fran worked hard to continue their mutual projects. She managed the rental units he had rebuilt in Old Town, and maintained the farmhouse in Maine as a summer vacation rental. For the last three decades of her life, many of Fran’s happiest days were spent at the Maine homestead, Renwick House. Each spring and fall, she would round up a posse of relatives and friends to share the drive, the chores, and the sheer wonder of life in the pine forests and granite-studded mountains of coastal Maine. She made friends with neighbors along the rural road, sharing freshly picked apples and berries for pies, tales of wildlife, and a sincere love for every overgrown path and seaside pebble of her adopted second home.
During her retirement years, Fran also took time to revisit her wanderlust. She discovered alternative travel escapades: tenting in Tanzania; visiting Machu Picchu and the canopied rain forests of Peru; traveling solo in Nepal with a Sherpa guide; and, at age 80, exploring penguin colonies in Antarctica.
Fran’s memory will be treasured by her children Kathy of Sebastopol, California, David (Debby Goldberg) of Silver Spring and Rob (Laura Jernigan) of Alexandria, and her grandchildren: Will, Elliott, Sierra, Ruthy and Annie. She took great joy in seeing them grow.
Family friends are invited to an informal sharing of memories at the Jernigan home on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 pm. For directions, email: david.jernigan@gmail.com. Donations may be made to the World Wildlife Fund.