Frances LeMaster

Published 1:24 pm Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Frances LeMaster, 1914-2016. Orange residents were saddened to hear of the death of Frances LeMaster, 101, who died at her home in Rancho Mirage, California on January 8, 2016. Fran LeMaster moved to Orange in 1946 when her husband Richard, a DuPont engineer, came to Orange when DuPont Sabine River Works opened. Mrs. LeMaster and Richard Spent 50 years in Orange, and she moved to Rancho Mirage, California in 1997 after Richard’s death to be with her son, Terry, who lives and works there. Mrs. LeMaster gave generous grants for the First Presbyterian Church in Orange which is used to help the church’s youth ministries and other programs. Mrs. LeMaster gave a grand piano to the church, and her grants to the Fire Department paid for the development of the first responder program, which trains firefighters as emergency medical technicians and equips them for the job. Her grant to the police station when it was built paid for the weight room, community center and much of the security equipment. She also gave a grant to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to buy child safety car seats for a program to exchange for unsafe child seats and paid for DARE scholarships to Lamar State College-Orange. She was the first woman to serve on the Orange County Grand Jury, and during her long time in Orange, she was involved in numerous civic and church activities. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard; and daughter, Missy. She is survived by her son, Terry.

Mrs. LeMaster will be interred with her husband in West Virginia. She lived a long and worthy life, and is remembered by a plaque in honor of her and her husband in the City of Orange Police Station. Orange was very fortunate to be graced by the life of this marvelous lady.