Francis Graves

Obituary For Francis Graves

Francis Graves blessed this Earth on November 7th 1946 as Francis Brown to Elizabeth and Cosby Brown in White Plains, Georgia. Often called “Fran” by her loved ones, she is the 5th sibling of 12 siblings and the fourth daughter. She grew up and attended school in Greene County while also attending to her family’s farm.

Country life was not easy but Francis often spoke nostalgically of that time with anecdotes such as when she was kicked and scared silly by the family cow, so much so she was relieved from farm chores.

At the sweet age of 18, Francis graduated from F.T. Corry High School in Greensboro and moved to New York City to join her older sisters, Bessie and Ruby. In New York, she later met and married Albert Graves Jr. on August 15, 1970 at St. Johns Baptist Church in New York City.

They first lived in Queens, NY and in 1972, welcomed their first child, a strong boy named Brian Scott Graves. In 1976, Francis gave birth to her second son, Michael David Graves. Yearning to establish a better home for their growing family, they moved to Uniondale, Long Island to a beautiful home on a quiet street named Goodrich Street. Francis gave birth to her third son Adam Geoffrey Graves in 1983.

Though occupied with the raising of her children, it was only a few years after Adam’s birth that Francis felt the urge to rejoin the work force. She initially started a simple job at publishing company Doubleday. Then inspired by her long time friend hair stylist June Allen, Francis decided to follow the same path. After graduating Cosmetology school, she worked independently at rental hair salons. With her sisters Gwen (Diane)and Bessie (Bebe) living close by, Francis enjoyed family life in New York. Finally after more than 30 years in New York, she and her husband embraced retirement and moved back to Georgia to reside in Alpharetta. Closer to all her siblings, she restarted her life in a brand new house.

Francis loved her family. Francis showered love continuously on all her children and her husband. She cradled Michael during his numerous bouts with Asthma, often rubbing his back to relieve tension. Even though she hated driving at night, during emergencies she took him to the hospital to make sure he received the proper care. She made masks by hand for her son Adam at the beginning of the pandemic. The loneliness and isolation of the quarantine was made easier by his mother’s warm phone calls helping him through the darkness.

She nurtured Brian`s innate strength throughout his life to take care of others so that when the time came, he was strong enough to take care of her with great fortitude. She cherished the sanctity of marriage, caring for her husband and was always there for him during his numerous sicknesses. These are only a few of the many times Francis comforted, consoled, and supported others. Francis Graves loved God and read the Bible often to find guidance and absorb wisdom. Without fail, she wrote down verses from the Bible that inspired her, lifted her up and kept her heart nourished. Those verses helped keep the light in her eye in a world with many troubles. They enriched the light that was already in her heart.

With the gospel on her tongue, she often managed things in her kitchen while humming and singing. Sometimes to herself and also out loud. If you wanted to find her, you need only follow her voice to any point in the house as she would walk around captivated by a particular song.

As a prior church member with Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of Queens, NY and later St. James Community Church in Alpharetta, GA, Francis’s love of Christ only strengthened with time and on September 13th 2025, she was baptized at St. James Community Church.

In 2024, Francis was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer, but as she had always done in her life, she fought hard. Undergoing treatment for close to 9 months, she was shaken but never broken. She dared to smile and never failed to, whether in her selfies or with others. After 9 months, she successfully rang the bell and finished her therapy. Unfortunately she succumbed to the side effects of that treatment. But as we all would expect from her indomitable spirit, some of her final words were “I’m not checking out ’til it’s my time! I’m not ready to go yet!” As life for her was sweet and she was never hungry from its beautiful taste.

Francis in her private life loved interior design and the warmth of her home reflects that. She religiously watched home renovation/ interior programs to gain inspiration and new ideas. Her house in Alpharetta truly embodied her fascination in creating an inviting nest for everyone. She filled it with numerous ceramics that she painted at the senior center. Focusing on art gave her solace and also new friends.

Though Francis is no longer with us in body, the light that shined from her is still warm within us.

Francis now dancing on the “streets of gold”, is survived by her husband Albert Graves, her three sons Brian, Michael, and Adam, siblings Ruby Perry, Sara Champion, Carl Brown, Richard Brown, Willie Melvin Brown, Gwendolyn Marks, Gregory Brown, Christine Brown, and their respective families, her many nieces and nephews including Terrell and Wanda Perry, Derrick and Christopher Dames, Bianca Bynum, Daniel Marks, her grandchildren Arianna Graves and Lucas Indal, and lastly her many other family members and beautiful friends.