Frances W. McHugh

Frances (Warren) McHugh passed away peacefully in Austin, Texas on November 21, 2019, at the age of 93, surrounded by her family. Frances was known for her cooking skills, her love of Spurs basketball, and her fascination with the birds of South Texas.

Frances was preceded in death by her husband, William B. McHugh. She is survived by her two daughters: Drue Ann Wise and Diane Hale; her son-in-law: Steve Wise; five grandchildren: Blake (Pam) Withey; Andy, Kevin (Myra), Nathan (Kady), and Amber Wise; three great grandchildren; her cousin, Louis (Kay) Warren, and numerous nieces and nephews in Louisiana.

“DonDon” as she was dubbed by her grandchildren, was born on December 10, 1925 in Killeen, Texas to Edward and Annie Laurie Warren and moved to

Port Isabel, Texas in 1930. She often recounted stories of life in the early days of Port Isabel including fleeing the 1933 hurricane with her mother, living through the alerts and blackouts during World War II, working in her parents hardware store, Warren Hardware, and withstanding the blinding sandstorms that plagued the city before current development.

Frances graduated from Port Isabel High School on May 31, 1943 and attended Texas A & I Kingsville. She received her BS in business administration in 1948 from Texas State College for Women (TWU), Denton. Before marrying Billy on June 15, 1952, Frances taught business at Brownsville High School on Elizabeth Street.

Frances called Brownsville home from 1950 to 2011 when she moved to Austin to be near her family. She was employed for many, many years at the Brownsville Shrimp Basin for Gulf Shrimp Processors and their subsidiary companies where she managed the office. She loved her job and enjoyed watching the shrimp boats come into port from her top floor vantage point. She retired at the ripe age of 80.

Frances requested no funeral services. Instead, she asked that her ashes be scattered amongst the birds of South Texas. A celebration of life is planned for later in the spring.

The family would like to thank Pamela Stripling (Teamwork Living) and Amanda Kane for providing a wonderful home and excellent care during the last year of Frances’ life. Special thanks also goes out to Hospice Austin and the caregivers who attended to Frances for the past two years.