Frances Ann Lutcher dies 85 years ago

All area Industries closed for the funeral of Mrs. Frances Ann Lutcher in 1924. 

All businesses in Orange were closed as well.

Mrs. Lutcher died while in New York, four days after her 84th birthday. The widow of late H.J. Lutcher had a paralytic stroke followed by pneumonia. Her husband had died 13 years prior.

Services took place at the Lutcher Memorial church and were conducted by the Rev. E.T. Drake. Active pallbearers were A.G. Gearhead, R.D. Woods, L.W. Gilbert, R.B. Goree, Hal G. Carter, D.A. Pruter, George S. Colburn and F.H. Farwell. Some 100 honorary pallbearers were also be present.

Born in Philadelphia, she and husband Henry Jacob Lutcher moved to Orange in 1877 where he formed the Lutcher-Moore Lumber Co.

Her holdings included the Lutcher-Moore Lumber Co., the Yellow Pine Paper Mill, the Orange Car and Steel Co., the Orange Rice Milling Co., Dibert, Stark and Brown Cypress Co., at Donner La., Lutcher and Moore Cypress Creosoting Co., the Orange Box Manufacturing Co., the Lutcher Moore Turpentine Works, Farwell La., Gulf, Sabine and Red River Railway Co., Vinton Petroleum Co., the Brown Paper Mill Co., Monroe La., the Brownie-Rabbette Oil Co. and the Hagan Coal Mines Inc. in New Mexico.

She was survived by two daughters, Mrs. Stark and Mrs. Brown, three grandsons: H.J. Lutcher Stark, Lutcher Brown and Edgar Brown. She lived to see the Frances Ann Hospital built, equipped and endowed on a block of ground bought by Mrs. Lutcher. She did much to improve the community.

Despite her age, she was a world traveler. Her last trip overseas was in 1922 to attend the annual convention of Rotary International at Edinburgh, Scotland. She also visited throughout Europe.