Mary Frances Gowan Stalcup

Mary Frances Gowan Stalcup Fran Stalcup said it best herself, she didn’t mind getting older because people now called her “a character” and a “pistol” and stopped calling her a ______. A woman with a great sense of humor, this always made her laugh. Mary Frances Gowan was born April 21, 1919 to George Grady Gowan and Frances Macon Hunter. She came to Gatlinburg in 1938 with her father Grady Gowan. Immediately she felt at home with the people and the beauty of the little town. Less than a year later she fell in love with one of the most handsome men to ever cross into these mountains, Alan Stalcup. Fran, being a free spirit and pursuing her own career went on to sing jazz on CBS radio and the blues at the famous McFadden Doval Hotel in Miami. Alan was persistent though, and eventually won her over. They were married in 1941. Together they opened one of the first gift shops in Gatlinburg in 1942, The Nut Shop, specialized in Smoky Mountain crafts. Alan and Fran’s famously hand-crafted black walnut belts, sliced thinly and interwoven with strands of leather to show the intricacy of their design were a hit with the early tourists. Fran proved her strength of character by running the Nutshop single-handedly while pregnant with their first child when Alan was serving his country during WW II. They had several businesses during their life together including the Davey Crockett Gift Shop, the Yankee Trader, the Space Needle, and the Pioneer Trading Post. After bearing five children, Fran went on to find success in the antique business. Her amazing eye was evident to anyone who frequented her shop, Fran’s Antiques, nested next to the Pioneer Trading Post. Not to be limited to the daily business grind, she spent her evenings becoming famous over the world as the award winning CB handler, Mountain Mama, friend to all the lost tourists that came to these Great Smokies, offering helpful directions, hints, lovely sites to visit and more. She enticed people throughout the world to come visit the Smokies and from the beginning was a force in the promotion of tourism in Gatlinburg. Her home reflected her eclectic artistic nature. Inside a collage of art, antiques, outside, her wildflower garden was one of the most extensive and diverse in East Tennessee boasting indigenous species including rare native Orchids and giant Jack in the Pulpits. Fran also was an avid journalist of her life, leaving behind many stories of her youth in the Smokies. These are invaluable to the people of this area, having a first hand account of a life and families here during the growth of Gatlinburg. Her life was filled with song. Her father played several instruments, and ran Grady’s Rhododendance aka Grady’s Place, a square dance hall. Fran had a voice that rivaled Kate Smith in her prime, and she used it with passion in the choir at the First United Methodist Church in Gatlinburg while playing the organ as well. Her artist heritage has been passed down to many of her children and grandchildren. Singers, actors, writers, artists, poets, they are scattered across the world finding success in their respective art forms which made Fran proud. Fran was a multi-faceted woman, an artist, a wife, a mother, a business woman, to name a few. She had a lust for life which is evident in all her different interests. Many things can be said about Fran, but in the end it all boiled down to this...she lived life fully her own way, on her own terms. She was for many years the matriarch of her family, a noble role which quite suited her. She leaves behind the following: Children: Susan S. Bayne, Judy S. Petrella, Becky J. Dodgen, Alan Blenn Stalcup III, Jeanni L. Watson Grandchildren: Jordan Bayne, Cody Bayne, Matthew Bayne, Lydia Scott, Tara Meadows, William Morgan, Rachel Dodgen, Rebecca Jordan, Alan Stalcup IV, Samantha Stalcup, Evan Stalcup, David Quilliams, Micah Watson, Hannah Watson, Leah Watson Great-grandchildren: Ginger, Isaac, Zoe, John Patrick, Grady, Joseph, Damian, Krystyn Beloved dog: Baby The family will receive friends from 3–5 PM Monday at First United Methodist Church, Gatlinburg. Funeral services 5 PM at First United Methodist Church with Pastor Eric Reiger and Pastor Jonathan Watson officiating. The family will host a reception at the church immediately foIlowing the funeral service, where all are encouraged to share their memorable stories about Fran and her life. Interment 2 PM Tuesday at White Oak Flats Cemetery. www.atchleyfuneralhome.com