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Claremont COURIER/Wednesday, February 3, 2010
May Frampton
Calming encourager of others
Stories of the life of May Rixon Frampton, who died January 21, 2010 at the Mt. San Antonio Gardens Health Center at the age of 97, abound. Through all the stories there is the thread of a caring, loving person.
The daughter of Edgar and Miriam Rixon, Mrs. Frampton was born in Altadena, California on October 30, 1912. She attended schools in that community where, her son recalls, she was a very good student. Her interests at that time included tennis and she took lessons from Don Budge, who went on to achieve number one in the world ranking in tennis for a number of years.
Miss Rixon then came to Claremont to attend Pomona College. An English major, her professor in that class, Mendall Frampton, would become her father-in-law. She met Robert Frampton at the junior-senior prom during her junior year. He proposed at the same event the following year.
Their wedding, on September 30, 1935 and their ensuing 3-year “honeymoon” that started just a few days later began a 54-year union that endured until Mr. Frampton’s death in 1989.
The “honeymoon” was an unusual beginning for the couple in the midst of the Great Depression. The new Mrs. Frampton, who admitted that her previous experience with mountains consisted of a class trip to Mt. Baldy for lunch, joined her husband in a trip northward.
The trek was to take a job with Edison at Florence Lake, elevation 7300 feet on the western slope of the Sierras. Reaching Florence Lake involved a 34-mile trip from Big Creek, California over a more than 9,000-foot pass. It was a jaunt that required hauling their belongings by tractor since the road by that time of the year was inaccessible to automobile traffic.
Travel throughout the winter from their cabin home would be by skis or snowshoes. An additional challenge to the new bride was coping, with limited cooking experience and a kitchen that consisted of a wood stove and no electricity.
Companions for the couple during those early years included their cat, Christopher, and their German Shepherd, Lady Lucia, whom they had rescued from a pound just before coming to the lake. “Lady” would later prove her worth and more by alerting a neighboring Edison employee, who was located over a quarter-mile away, to the couple’s plight when they became trapped in a root cellar where the temperature was 31 degrees.
With the three-year assignment at Florence Lake completed, the Framptons moved on to Long Beach where her husband was with the Southern California Edison Steam Plant. During the time they were there, Mrs. Frampton went through two pregnancies, both resulting in still births. Robert Rixon Frampton, her son, explains that the couple went to the Children’s Home Society, “and lo and behold, they got me.” He was then, in 1943, 6 weeks old.
The Frampton journey brought the family back to Claremont, Bob Frampton’s home town, in the mid1940s.
While her husband was busy with his photography studio and civic activities, Mrs. Frampton was no less so. In addition to assisting her husband in his busi-ness, where she was known for her ability to calm and relax nervous members of wedding parties, Mrs. Frampton was also involved in the community.
Her abiding interest and support in the Children’s Home Society continued for many years. She was a member of and a deacon for the Claremont United Church of Christ, Congregational and for many, many years headed the church’s floral committee. She was a member of and served as president of the Rembrandt Club, and following her and her husband’s “retirement” to Mt. San Antonio Gardens, it is reported that she served on “as many committees as she could.”
Friend of many years Ray Fowler says of Mrs. Frampton: “She was one of those people who was flawlessly courteous and respectful - not that she didn’t have some steel-but she was a quiet angel.”
The Rev. Homer D. “Butch” Henderson knew Mrs. Frampton for many years. “May Frampton was the epitome of someone who knew how to give flowers to the living. She was a very beautiful and humble person whose gentle influence went far.”
David Pierce, director of the Mt. San Antonio Gar-dens Health Center, characterizes Mrs. Frampton as a “kind and thoughtful soul.”
Claremonter Lee Jackman worked with Mrs. Frampton as a member of the Children’s Home Society for a number of years: “She was always the most positive, encouraging person - plus her dedication to CHS. She always had a smile and always found a reason to smile.”
As chairwoman of the floral committee at CUCCC, Mrs. Frampton made up bouquetsfor shut-ins from floral arrangements at the church for years. Anne Waggoner, who worked with her and succeeded her in the position, says of her friend, “She was the kind of person whom you would like to have as an older sister. She was a hard worker and a very loving person.”
And her son, Robert “Rick” Frampton, says, “She taught me how to love and how to receive love.” Mr. Frampton notes that the Frampton leaves her grandson, Randall Frampton of Colusa, California; her granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Candice and Ramon Alejandre of Anaheim, and her great-grand-children, Joel and Carissia Alejandre.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, any memorial donations be made to the Homeship Fund, Mt. San Antonio Gardens, 900 E. Harrison Ave., Pomona, CA 91767.
A graveside memorial service for Mrs. Frampton will be held on Friday, February 12, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at Oak Park Cemetery.
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