Frances Morgan was kind to everyone who knew her, and she loved to sing.
“It was like I was growing up with Snow White,” said her son Gil Morgan.
She always “saw the sunny side of things,” he added.
It was her upbeat personality that made her a delight to be around.
Beth Hardage knew Morgan for more than 30 years. They met in their home state, South Carolina, and were part of the South Carolina Club.
“I was attracted to her because of her laugh,” Hardage said. Morgan would always be surrounded by a group of people laughing: “She could find the fun in everything.”
Frances Bearden Morgan of Marietta died Sept. 30 of complications after a surgery. She was 93. A funeral will be held Oct. 11. 4:30 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church, 2160 Cooper Lake Rd., Smyrna. Carmichael Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
She grew up during the Great Depression and moved around a lot as a child. She was always optimistic and “if ever she had a goal, she went for it,” said Morgan of his mother.
As a teen she made up her mind she wanted to sing on the radio. Her persistence eventually was rewarded, with her own radio music show at both WIS and WCOS radio stations in Columbia, S.C.
“Singing was her passion; music was her love,” said Hardage.
She married Andrew G. Morgan Sr. in 1942, and the couple moved to Miami. She studied voice at the University of Miami Conservatory and worked as a telephone operator for Southern Bell during World War II.
Her love for singing still with her, she toured with the USO providing musical entertainment for America’s soldiers.
Her son said she set such a high standard that he often has to remember “not everybody is my mother.”
One of the great things she taught him was that “the greatest thing anyone can do in life is help someone achieve their dreams,” he said.
In this midst of chasing her dream and passion as a singer she helped opera star Blanche Thebom. In 1961 Morgan studied under Thebom and served on the Thebom Committee of the Southern Regional Opera in Atlanta.
“She was ahead of her time,” said her son.
Morgan is survived by her son, Andrew G. Morgan Jr. (Gil); daughter-in-law Susan Morgan; granddaughter Lauren Morgan; grandson David Morgan, and step-grandson Cameron McConnell, all of Smyrna.
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