Frances T. McDonnell
COLUMBIA — Frances T. McDonnell is remembered for her kindness, her cooking and her eye for entertaining, said her sister, Betty Quisenberry.
“She was a wonderful sister, and I can’t say enough good about her,” Quisenberry said.
McDonnell, of Columbia, died Thursday, June 26, 2008, at her home. She was 87.
She was born April 3, 1921, to Samuel and Belle (Moreau) Johnson at their family farm on Mexico Gravel Road.
She attended Hickman High School after eight years in Gillaspy School, a one-room schoolhouse, and graduated in 1939.
She met James McDonnell two years later, and they married on June 12, 1942, in Seattle.
Mrs. McDonnell worked as a secretary at the downtown law firm of Clark, Boggs, Peterson and Becker for most of her career, retiring in 1981 from what is now Shelter Insurance Co. She traveled with her husband to all 50 states and six continents.
“They traveled when we were kids,” daughter Susan Murphy said. “We went to most of the states with them in the back of the car.”
As a young girl, Murphy went with her parents on a two-month trip to Europe, renting a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle for rides to Paris, the Alps and elsewhere.
Mrs. McDonnell took to the air in the early 1940s, earning certification from the Civil Aeronautics Administration after flying a Piper J3 Cub and other aircraft. Murphy said she didn’t know if her mother directly helped with the war effort, but her training would have allowed her to shuttle smaller planes back and forth across the country during World War II.
Quisenberry said that she did nearly everything with her sister.
“When we were teenagers, Frances played the guitar, and when we sang, she sang the soprano, and I sang the alto,” Quisenberry said.
Mrs. McDonnell’s family history is deeply rooted in Missouri. She was a sixth-generation descendant of William Ramsey, a Boone County pioneer and Revolutionary War veteran.
Murphy said her parents played host to many parties and encouraged their kids to invite friends.
“My mom’s grandpa would sit my mom and Aunt Betty on his lap and tell them (his) Civil War stories,” Murphy said.
Mrs. McDonnell is survived by one daughter, Susan Murphy of Spring, Texas: one son, Barry McDonnell of Jefferson City; a sister, Betty Quisenberry of Columbia; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Her husband died earlier this year.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Parker Funeral Service, 22 N. Tenth St. Burial will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Memorial Park Cemetery, 1217 Business Loop 70 W. Condolences for the family may be left at parkerfuneralservice.com.