Funeral services for Mrs. Rose “Frances” Colvett Bruce, age 102, were at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at the Alamo Church of Christ. Interment followed at the Alamo Cemetery. Ronk Funeral Home was in charge of the services.
Frances, born in the Nance community of Alamo, Tenn., on Aug. 23, 1912, departed this earth on Oct. 18, 2014, at the age of 102 with her daughter Leanne at her side.
She was the youngest of five children of Lena Stewart Jetton and DeWitt Benjamin Colvett. Frances was predeceased by her husband, Lieutenant Sam Bruce, U.S. Navy (retired); her parents; her twin brother, Frank Colvett; her brothers Cliff Colvett and Lynn Colvett; her sister, Fay Colvett; and her nephew, Robert Dee Colvett.
Frances is survived by her daughter, Leanne Bruce Braddock, and husband Edward Cookenham of Bartlett, Tenn.; grandchildren Suzannah (Jason) Foster of Manassas, Va.; and Sam (Andrea) Braddock of Honolulu, Hawaii; great-grandchildren Ian, Evelynn, and Jess Foster, as well as Adelaide, Matilda, Theodore, and Leopold Braddock; nieces, Virginia Dare (Marvin) Ford and Mary Lynn (Doug) Summers; nephew, Frank Harmon (Sarah) Colvett; cousins, Fred Colvett and Hal Redmond; and many friends.
Frances graduated from Alamo High School in 1932 and attended Nashville Business School. She worked as a professional secretary for much of her adult life, including serving as secretary to the superintendent of Crockett County Schools; secretary to the principal of Esperanza Junior High School in Lexington Park, Md.; and many other locations and companies.
A true American patriot, Frances actively supported the naval careers of her husband, her daughter, and her grandson, traveling the globe with them and living in Philadelphia, Pa.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Norfolk, Va.; Patuxent River, Md.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Newport, R.I.; Washington, D.Cc.; Paris, France; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Keflavik, Iceland.
Her hobbies included sewing, quilting and restoring old dolls. She could often be heard singing or humming while sewing or going about household chores.
Frances loved to laugh, enjoy an afternoon with good friends, and tell great stories, which she remembered with uncanny accuracy. When asked what contributed to her long life she would often say, “Have younger friends, drink orange juice every morning, and put Vicks salve under your nose at night.”
Her favorite color was blue. Frances loved her family, her friends, and her community. But above all she loved her Lord and taught her family to do the same.
Visitation was 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, at Ronk Funeral Home and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at the Alamo Church of Christ.
Memorial gifts can be made to the Crockett County Veterans Memorial, the Crockett County Library, or a charity of your choice.
