Frances (Deal) Kimball

Frances Deal Kimball, 84, died on Saturday evening, December 28, at her home in Statesville after a long illness.  Born on September 29, 1935, in Statesville, Frances was the daughter of the late Asa Watt Deal and Ethel Jessup Deal.  She was preceded in death by her husband of more than 45 years, Hugo Brown Kimball, who died on November 19, 2005.

Frances was a graduate of Statesville Senior High School, where her father was principal, and of the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now UNCG), where she earned her degree in primary education.  After college, she lived in Florida for several years before marrying her husband Brown and coming home to Statesville to start a family.  She taught first grade in Dania, Florida and at N.B. Mills Elementary School in Statesville for more than 20 years before she retired from teaching in 1988.

Frances was active in the Statesville community throughout her life.  She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, where she sang as a soprano in the church choir for many years.  She worked with boards, commissions, and committees of local interest, serving on the Board of the YMCA of Iredell County, as president of the MacDowell Music Club, and as a member of the choir at Mitchell Community College.  She was an avid golfer who enjoyed playing in Statesville and in Blowing Rock.  She was an accomplished tennis player, playing on the Statesville tennis team for years and in senior doubles tournaments throughout North Carolina.  She loved to sing for others, to play bridge with her friends, to work on jigsaw puzzles with her family, and to solve crossword puzzles late at night.  She was loved by many.

Frances is survived by her daughter Susan Kimball Peatross and her husband Craig of Winston Salem; by her son William Hugo Kimball and his wife Alison of Corte Madera, California; by her brother Winfred Watt Deal and his wife Cheryl of Aurora, Colorado; by one granddaughter, Sarah Nicole Peatross; and by two grandsons, William Brown Peatross and Graham Hugo Kimball.  Two nieces, a nephew, and their families also survive. 

A memorial service for Frances will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 3, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, with Pastor Ernie Sheldon officiating.  A private interment will be held in Oakwood Cemetery prior to the service hour.  The family will visit with friends in the church’s fellowship hall after the service.

The family is profoundly grateful to the caregivers and nursing staff of Sherrie’s In-Home Care and of Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell Country for the extraordinary care, support, and love they tirelessly gave to Frances during her long and brave struggle with complications from Parkinson’s disease. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County, 2347 Simonton Road, Statesville, NC 28677, or to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 740 N. Center St., Statesville, NC 28677. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.troutmanfuneralhome.com

Troutman Funeral Home is serving the Kimball family.

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