Fran Gale, medical social worker, author, and treasured mother, sister, and partner, died on January 23, 2024 at her Collinsville home of non-smoker’s lung cancer. She was 79.
The second of five daughters of Anderson and Lelia Lipford, Frances Mattox Lipford grew up with her sisters on a wooded hillside outside Collinsville. After her graduation from Bassett High School, Fran majored in Spanish at Longwood College and taught English as a Second Language in Panama. After her children were born, Fran began a career in hospital social work, which she found deeply rewarding. She would become director of social work at Memorial Hospital of Martinsville, where her fluency in Spanish helped patients communicate with their doctors.
Active in community affairs, Fran was a co-founder of Grace Network, a faith-based resource center for families in crisis in Martinsville and Henry County. She served for many years on the performing arts committee of the Piedmont Arts Association and three terms on TheatreWorks Community Players play selection committee.
Fran Gale is survived by her partner Tee Freeman, son Patrick Gale and his wife Carrie Donley, and daughter Lee-Ellen Gale. Her book about Lee-Ellen, Someone Changed Her Mind, was published in 2023. Fran is also survived by her four sisters: Mary Anne Hoffman, Sarah Stone, Pat Abbitt, and Betty Heaton, and a loving clan of brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and their children.
The family will receive visitors at Norris Funeral Services, 1500 Kings Mountain Road, from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 27, 2024. A celebration of Fran’s life will be held on Saturday, March 2, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Avenue, Martinsville.
Memorial donations can be made to Grace Network (gracenetworkmhc.org); Safetynet of Martinsville/Henry County (safetynetmhc.org); Piedmont Arts (piedmontarts.org) or TheatreWorks Community Players (twcp.net).