Mrs. Frances Riggin Underhill, 93, passed away on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Onancock. She was a resident of Wilsonia Neck, near Machipongo, the devoted wife of 66 years of the late Edmond Arthur Underhill Jr. and the daughter of the late Emmett Godwin Riggin and the late Ethel Virginia Cunningham.
Frances dedicated more than 40 years of her professional life to the service and care of others as a registered nurse at Northampton-Accomack Memorial Hospital in Nassawadox. During her tenure, she worked in the intensive care unit, but she will be best remembered as the director of nursing.
As a member of Johnson’s United Methodist Church, Frances spent time quilting with her church friends, and she made more than her fair share of chicken salad over the years for countless events.
Family was integral to Frances’ life. She was proud of her daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and they were fond of the many holiday meals she prepared with an expert hand. No dinner was considered complete without her homemade rolls.
Frances took great pride in her garden, along with the flowers and plants surrounding her home. In later years, she found joy in reading and watching the birds at her feeder.
Frances is survived by two daughters, Ellen U. Lowery and her husband, Larry, of Chesapeake, and Patricia U. Brady and her husband, Eddie, of Cape Charles; five grandchildren, Michael Lowery, of Chesapeake, Jenny DiRese and her husband, David, of Chesapeake, Ashley Mycyk and Robbie, of Gloucester, April Finnigan and her husband, Patrick, of Chantilly, and Ian Brady with Rachel Rock, of Nassawadox; seven great-grandchildren, DJ, Joshua, Aubree, Brady, Declan, Brantley, and Caiden; a sister-in-law, Joan W. Riggin, of Exmore; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Friday, March 22, 2024, at 1:30 p.m., at Johnson’s United Methodist Church with the Rev. Curtis Lucy officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Johnson’s United Methodist Church, c/o Brenda Floyd, 4198 Pear Plain Lane, Machipongo, VA 23405.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.doughtyfuneralhome.com
Arrangements were made by Doughty Funeral Home in Exmore.
