Frances "Fran" S. Wray
Frances "Fran" S. Wray
Frances “Fran” Schembri Wray, 82, passed away peacefully with family by her side on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Hospice of the Piedmont Hospice House in Charlottesville. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 22, 1944, the second child of Anthony Joseph and Dorothy Vassallo Schembri. Fran retired in July 2000 from her position as Public Information Officer for the City of Staunton. Throughout the years, she remained actively involved in her community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Country Club of Staunton (now The Club of Staunton), volunteering with the Staunton Tourism Board, and serving as a board member and past president of the Women’s Division of the Virginia State Golf Association. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Judd and her husband, Alan, of Marietta, Georgia and Ann Redlund and her husband, Chris, of Virginia Beach; her stepsons, Desmond C. Wray, III (Tripp) and his wife, Teresa, of Richmond, and Tod K. Wray and his wife, Karen, of Kent’s Store; her sister, Dorothy Schembri, of Washington, DC; her brother, David Schembri and his wife, Jackie, of Troy, Michigan; her nephew, DeWayne Schembri of Washington, DC; her sisters-in-law, Shirley H. Wray and Joan D. Wray, of Staunton; her five grandsons, Jordan D. Yoder and his wife, Tarah, of Pamplin, Patrick K. Wray of Salt Lake City, Utah, Andrew G. Judd of Los Angeles, California, Samuel C. Judd of Marietta, Georgia, and Coleman C. Wray of Richmond; and her great-grandchildren, Jace, Jonathan, Tessa and Noah Yoder. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved husband of thirty-seven years, Desmond Carlisle Wray, Jr., and her older sister, Connie Schembri. Fran was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton, where a memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, September 25, 2026, with the Reverend William “AJ” Heine officiating. Inurnment at Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton will be private. Following the memorial service, the family will receive friends at a reception in McCracken Hall on Trinity’s campus. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Fran’s memory to The Fleming Fund for Junior Girls, in care of the Virginia State Golf Association (2400 Dovercourt Drive, Midlothian, VA 23113).
