Frances Norwood Ashcraft, age 94, of Reform, died in the loving presence of family members
on March 18, 2023, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus, Mississippi. A memorial service
will be held 3 p.m. Thursday, April 6, 2023, at Skelton Funeral Home with Rev. Tim McCool
officiating, visitation to follow. A private family burial will be held at Graham Memorial Cemetery.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 56 years, James Harold "Doc"
Ashcraft, Sr.; her brother Leonard L. "Scot" Norwood, Jr.; and her twin sister, Louise Norwood
Long.
Survivors include her children, James H. "Butch" Ashcraft, Jr., and wife Julie of Huntsville, Ala.,
Dawn Rollins and husband Bill of Dothan, Ala., Tina Ashcraft Smith of Alpharetta, Ga. and
Reform, Ala., and Mark Ashcraft of Reform, Ala.; her grandchildren, James Ashcraft (Julia),
Mary Frances Bryan (Andrew), Beth Anne Ashcraft, John Ashcraft, Ashley Rollins, and Keely
Smith; her great-grandchildren Hudson Ashcraft, Ava Ashcraft, and Emery Frances Bryan; and
nieces and nephews.
Frances Norwood Ashcraft was born June 3, 1928, in Carrollton, Alabama, to the late Leonard
Levert Norwood, Sr., and Fannie Littlepage Marsh Norwood. Frances was a 1950 graduate of
Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, with a degree in Business Education.
Later she took additional course work from the University of Alabama to earn her teaching
certificate in Elementary Education. She was a dedicated and beloved school teacher in Florida
and Alabama for 30 years. She leaves behind a lasting legacy in her children, grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, and generations of former students. She was a member of First Baptist
Church, Reform.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to a charity of one's choice