Athens Frances Smith Lee, 97, of Athens, Ohio, passed away on August 23, 2024.Fran was born on November 21, 1926 to Clarence & Ella Smith in the small town of Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska. In her teens, she moved with her family to Youngstown, Ohio, where they lived briefly before settling in Long Beach, California.In 1949, Fran married James "Jim" Lee, who had returned from the Army Air Force after the war. The couple then resided in Utah, Arizona, and Wisconsin before embarking on the first of many overseas adventures. Over the years, they lived in South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, and were able travel much of the globe during that time. Fran taught first grade (and later ESL classes) overseas. The family eventually settled in Athens, Ohio, where Jim was a professor and Fran taught classes after earning a Master's degree in Linguistics.To their four children and the young Ethiopian lad who came to live with them, Fran was the "glue" that held the family togethe

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