Frances Wiley Henry

Frances Wiley Henry, 92, went to meet her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ April 16, 2024, while living at Brookdale Senior Living, Tullahoma, Tennessee.  She passed away peacefully in her sleep.  She was born and raised in Tennessee in Williamson County to the late Robert Preston “Press” Wiley, Sr. and Lera Roberson Wiley. She is also preceded in death by her siblings John William “Billy” Wiley and his wife Joyce, Robert “Bobby” Preston Wiley, Jr. and his wife Sue, David Watson Wiley and brother in law James “JB” Berry Chester. She is survived by her children, James "Jim" Carson Henry, Jr., Carol Anne Henry Williams (Bill), Laura Frances Henry; granddaughter, Crystal Leighann Proctor (Chris); sister, Bessie Mae "Sister" Chester; sister in law, Emogene "Emma" Walton Wiley, along with many other cherished family members, beloved nieces, nephews, and friends. 

She lived most of her adult life in Nashville then many years in Lyles, Tennessee. She lived her last years with her daughter Carol and son in law Bill Williams in Lynchburg, Tennessee, along with her special needs daughter Laura, after both Frances and Laura were in a serious automobile accident. Eventually she moved to Brookdale Senior Living, Tullahoma, Tennessee.   

Frances was a born again Christian and raised her children to believe Jesus Christ is their Savior!   She was a member of the First Baptist Church, Dickson, Tennessee.

Frances was an amazing lady and will leave a beautiful legacy of life that her loved ones and friends will remember forever!  She was the oldest of 5 siblings and she loved growing up in the country where she had to walk up hill to school in the snow barefooted to and from school each day!   Her parents were dairy farmers and raised tobacco. She loved the country life. The siblings bathed in a wash tub on the back porch, and since she was the oldest, Frances had to take the last bath, in the same water, after the other children bathed.  Being the eldest brought her a sense of selflessness.  She always put others before her own needs. She and her siblings were very close and she loved them very much.

Frances loved going to school and studying.  She skipped 2 grades in school graduating from Franklin High School.  With her grade point average and scholarship she could have attended college early, but decided to go to secretarial school instead.   One of her first jobs was working in the office at the Stockyard, downtown Nashville. It was a real stockyard then, but eventually became a popular Nashville restaurant.

Frances married James (Jimmy) C. Henry, Sr. and they had 3 children, Jim, Carol and Laura.  They were married 29 years, but after enduring hardships, divorced.  Frances never remarried, and they both still loved each other, but were unable to overcome.   She looked forward to being a mother and wife.  After a long day at work, she came home and cooked a meat and 3 veggies every night to make sure her family had a good home cooked meal.

Frances worked at Life and Casualty (L&C Tower) on the 28^th floor for many years.  Laura, her youngest child, was born prematurely and has special needs, so Frances stayed home to care for Laura for several years. Later, after Laura was older Life & Casualty rehired Frances, giving her back all her previous years of service and worked there a total of 25 years.   American General purchased Life & Casualty, so she moved to that building, now known as the Tennessee Tower. Frances was a member of the Fellowship of Life Management Institute, so had the initials FLMI after her name. FLMI is an extensive training related to Finance and Insurance. Frances’ department later moved out of state, so instead of relocating she took early retirement and went full time to school to get a Bachelor’s Degree. She previously had been going over to TSU during lunch or after work for several years. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree Magna cum laude, 3^rd from the top of her class from Tennessee State University at 61 years of age, with a double major in Accounting and Business!   

After graduation she secured an Accountant position at the State of Tennessee working in the Tennessee Housing division (T.H.D.A.).  She retired after 15 more years at the age of 76!

Frances dedicated her life to being a wonderful mother to three children.  Special care went into caring for Laura, with her special needs. She drove Laura to Nashville twice a week, an hour drive one way, to participate in her activities associated with the Metro Parks Disability Program in Nashville.  Laura is now at Skill’s Development Services Day Program in Tullahoma.  She truly enjoyed her visits with her granddaughter Crystal and the rest of her family.

Those who knew Frances knew her witty personality and sense of humor!  So many stories could be shared!  She loved clogging and belonged to a clogging dance group!

Frances loved the ocean and all her nice travel experiences, including snorkeling and learning to hula in Kauai, Hawaii!  Visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial on Oahu.  Enjoyed a Caribbean cruise visiting Cozumel, Cayman Islands (where she swam with stingrays) and Jamaica. She enjoyed the Grand Canyon and Sedona areas of Arizona. It was traveling with her family that truly made her happy.

Frances loved her family and she had many dear friends who always kept in touch throughout the years.   They shared great memories and laughter together!  She had many new friends too at Brookdale Senior Living!   If you ever had the pleasure of meeting her, you were truly Blessed! Her memory will live in our hearts forever.

The family would like to thank the staff and many caregivers at Brookdale Senior Living for the loving care they provided.  In addition, to Gentiva Hospice, who helped in her final days.

Services will be held Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 3:00 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home with visitation two hours prior. Jim Taylor officiating. Family will serve as pall bears.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Frances W. Henry's name to:

Vanderbilt Pediatrics Neurology Donate to In Memory of a Loved One (vanderbilthealth.org)

Skill’s Development Services, Tullahoma, TN -

Skills Development Services Day Program Skills Development Services Day Program 704 S Washington St. Tullahoma, TN.  37388 Attention: Jeremy Taylor 931-393-3840 jtaylor@sds-tn.org

Metro Parks Disability Program, Nashville, TN -