Frances Bell Pritchett

Frances Bell Pritchett, widow of Irving H. Pritchett, Jr., died on June 27, 2016, at John Randolph Hospital in Hopewell. Mrs. Pritchett was born in McKenney, Virginia, on June 13, 1925, the youngest child of Irma Lanford and John Calvin Bell. She was graduated from Longwood State Teacher's College. She met Mr. Pritchett at Petersburg High School, and they were married on February 25, 1946, after he returned from serving his country in WWII. They lived in Charlottesville, where she taught elementary school, until he graduated from the University of Virginia. They returned to Petersburg after graduation, where they made their home. Mrs. Pritchett was an avid duplicate bridge player and achieved the rank of Life Master. She gave forty years of service to the Frances Bland Randolph Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was an accomplished knitter. Mrs. Pritchett's hands were never idle, as she knitted stocking caps for the homeless, delivering approximately 150 of them every year at Christmas, an accomplishment for which she was honored several times. She was, also, a volunteer at Petersburg General Hospital, an activity that she enjoyed very much. Mrs. Pritchett was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her brothers, Colonel John C. Bell, Jr., and Oscar Lanford Bell. She is survived by her three children: Alice Pritchett Crain and her husband, David M. Crain of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Irving H. Pritchett, III, and his wife, Doris Leonard Pritchett of Dinwiddie; and Lanford Bell Pritchett of Castle Rock, Colorado. In addition, she has four grandchildren: David D. Crichton and his wife Meredyth of Greenville, South Carolina; Scott Crichton and his wife, Amanda, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Chandler Pritchett Lettin and her husband, Nick, of Portland, Oregon; and Austin Wade Pritchett of Omaha, Nebraska. She has one great-grandaughter, Sedona Bell Lettin of Portland, Oregon. She is also survived by her niece, two nephews, and seven great nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on July 23 at 10 a.m. at St. Marks United Methodist Church on Claremont Street in Petersburg. Visitation and a reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers or food, donations may be made in her memory to St. Marks Methodist Church, 225 Claremont Street, Petersburg, VA 23805 or Rushmere Volunteer Fire Department, 5354 Old Stage Highway, Smithfield, VA 23430. The Pritchett family is being served by J.T. Morriss Funeral Home, 103 S. Adams Street, Petersburg, VA. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com .