Frances Hunter Herron

Frances “Fran” Hunter Herron passed away on March 20, 2026 in Gainesville, Virginia at age 87. She is remembered as someone who knew how to make life more beautiful, and who brought happiness to others with a warm smile. Born February 12, 1939, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Fran’s early years were spent in Louisiana and Tulsa, Oklahoma with her parents Theresa and Phelan, sister Harriet, and brother David. As a teenager at Byrd High School in Shreveport, LA, her friends teased that Fran Hunter should go out with fellow student Hunter Herron, the handsome piano player who served them ice cream cones at the local Dairy Queen. She and Hunter were married in 1959, a marriage that lasted 65 years. Fran began studies towards an undergraduate degree at Newcomb College in New Orleans, now part of Tulane University, in 1957. She put her schooling on hold to move around the world with Hunter, supporting his oil and gas career and raising their growing family. They settled in McLean, Virginia in 1978 with three children, two dogs and a station wagon. Fran made the bold decision to complete her undergraduate degree in 1998, enrolling at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Her professors called the 58-year-old their “mature student.” In true Fran fashion, she threw herself a huge party at her favorite restaurant on the evening of her graduation, where she announced to her friends, family, and the entire hair salon staff in attendance that she would begin graduate school at Marymount the next morning. She earned a Master’s degree in counseling in 2001. Fran had a rich professional life.. She worked for many years as a Montessori teaching assistant, and later became an administrative assistant in various offices. After 9/11, she began impactful work as a crisis counselor at both the Pentagon and Fort Myer Army Base. When she and Hunter moved to Gainesville, Virginia in 2007, she opened a private counseling practice, offering guidance to individuals and families navigating emotional challenges. Fran’s faith in God and her active membership and contributions to the Episcopal Church were a cornerstone in her life. Fran served as both church school teacher and superintendent for almost thirty years at St. John’s Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia, where she adored teaching her “second grade stars.” She also developed a multi-age church school model at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Haymarket, Virginia. Her dedication to teaching God’s word to His children was a reflection of her belief that we are all Saints of God. Fran’s life was also enriched by her love of reading, traveling, gardening, and hosting parties. She had an extraordinary ability to see the beauty in all things and the good in all people, a gift she generously shared with everyone she met - even strangers at the grocery store. Her home was always a space bursting with Southern hospitality, especially during the Christmas season, when she delighted in decorating and hosting legendary Christmas parties year after year. Fran is survived by brother David Phelan Hunter and sister Harriet Hendrick Hunter; children Edwin Hunter Herron III, David Russell Herron, and Ashley Herron Scott (Kevin); grandchildren Cameron Hunter Scott, Emily Rose Herron, and Cooper Douglas Scott. A Celebration of Life will be held on April 11, 2026 at 11:00 am at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, located at 6750 Fayette Street in Haymarket, Virginia. The Internment of Ashes will take place on April 11 at 4:00 pm at the Woodland Chapel at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 6715 Georgetown Pike in McLean, where she will be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband Hunter. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Fran’s memory to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.