Frances Elizabeth Eustace Ungemach was born Sept. 4, 1923, and died Feb. 8, 2019.
Frances lived a full and varied life. Born in the nation’s capital on Labor Day, she lived in the South and in the North, in the city, in suburbs, in small towns and in the country. Fran met the love of her life, Richard “Dick” Ungemach, in the midst of WWII, and married him in 1945. Fran and Dick moved to Ithaca, N.Y., while Dick finished studies at Cornell. While living in Burnt Hills, N.Y., they had three daughters. Their young family ice skated, tobogganed, hiked through mountains, camped, canoed, and fished – although Fran’s catch occasionally ended up in overhanging tree limbs.
Fran was always active in the Baptist church, and after moving to Arlington, Va., she counseled young mothers and was Scout leader and chauffeur to their daughters. Later they moved to Vienna, Va., where Fran’s love of history led her to investigate her family genealogy with frequent trips to the Library of Congress and the Daughters of the American Revolution, until she discovered golf at the age of 62! Taking golf lessons prepared her for their move to Lake Monticello, Va., after Dick’s retirement. She loved life at “the Lake,” where her beloved Dick passed in 2007.
Seven years later she hated to leave the Lake when she moved to assisted living at RoseWood Village Greenbrier in Charlottesville, Va., where she soon joined in the social activities. Fran always loved baseball, having attended games for the Senators and the Braves. She would dress up for the games of the University of Virginia and Washington, which enlivened her life at RoseWood.
Fran would never miss an opportunity to laugh, to tell a story, to be the center of attention, or to eat ice cream! We hope she is chewing through a big bowl with Dad.
Fran is survived by her sister, Mabel Jean Eustace Essex; her three daughters, Janet Parker, Joan Brumbach (Frederic), and Lee Baszczewski (John); her four grandchildren, Brian Mailley (Jan), Kim Santmyer (Vincent), Carson Drolette (Amy), and Derek Drolette (fiancé Felicia); and her five great-grandchildren, Casey Thomas (Nathan), Melissa O’Brien (Patrick), Benjamin Drolette, Anaka Drolette, and Aurora Drolette.