Frances Davis passed away on July 6, 2017 in Asheville, NC at the age of 64.

Frances is survived by her mother, Sarah Davis, of Tulsa, OK; daughters Sarah Burgher (Phillip) of Atlanta, GA and Emily Cadmus (Will) of Asheville, NC; siblings Donald (Christine), John (Diana), and Jennifer (Cliff) of Tulsa, OK, and Scott of Richmond, ME; four beautiful grandchildren; and former husband Dan Cadmus of Portland, OR.

She is preceded in death by her father, Jack Davis.

Frances was born in a party dress on January 1, 1953 in Beatrice, NE and spent her childhood in Denver, CO. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in special education and later received her master’s degree in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 1979, Frances and former husband, Dan, moved to North Carolina where she found great joy and wonder working with children and began her graduate studies in developmental psychology. In 1981 she began a long and celebrated career as an educator, therapist, and researcher. For the last 15 years, Frances served as a fierce advocate for families and children with the Family Infant Preschool Program (FIPP) in Morganton, NC. She frequently presented to a national audience and created implementation tools used by therapists and teachers all over the world to support families with young children. Frances welcomed daughters Sarah and Emily in 1980 and 1982 respectively. She instilled in her daughters the tremendous gifts of independence and creativity. She encouraged them, and many others, to be open and generous with their hearts and to pursue lives filled with love.

In her free time, Frances enjoyed performing in, directing, and supporting local community theatre. She especially loved musicals and was convinced the world could break into song at any moment, so much so, that she regularly sang out loud wherever she went.

A memorial service is scheduled for July 22 at 2 p.m. at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Frances’s life.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) at 250 Pigeon Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 or Family Infant Preschool Program (FIPP) c/o Assure the Future, 300 Enola Road, Morganton, NC 28655. The family would like to thank the staff at CarePartners Solace Center for their service and compassion.

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