Fan Rhea Lucy Pope from Natick (formerly from Roanoke Virginia) passed away on May 22, 2026. She was born in Amarillo Texas, on October 17th, 1939, to the late John Ballentine Lucy and Marjorie Fain Lucy. Beloved wife of Reverend Jesse Pope. Mother of Ashley Pope Reynolds of Natick and Richard Rhea Pope of Claremont California. Grandmother of Ciara Reynolds and Maverick Pope.

Born in Amarillo Texas, Fan Rhea Lucy was the only child born to Marjorie (Luikart Fain) and John Lucy. She moved ten times (she was keen to tell us) before she graduated from Newport News High school in Virginia. In 1961 she graduated from Randolph Macon Women’s college. Where, inspired by the Patterson Drug Store protest in Lynchburg, he joined in at sit-ins at the lunch counter of People’s Drug Store on Main Street. She would continue to love a good protest.

In the next few years to follow she met Jesse Pope (my dad) and decided to marry the British man who was a late deafened adult , who had an accent, spoke like a hearing person - yet preferred to sign and was many years her senior. She often explained it to us kids as “ While your father was a solider in WWII, I was being taught to hide under my school desk if there was a bomb.” Needless to say , the marriage raised a few eye brows. By 1965 she had given birth to me and four years later my brother, Richard Pope. While in Va., she and my father began to advocate for accessibility and support systems for the deaf before sign language interpreting became a standardized, nationally recognized profession.

Shortly after Ricky was born, we made the move up to Massachusetts. It was a big shift for both my parents. At every Boston Marathon my mom would yell “Go Dixie!” and if she found a car that had a bumper sticker that said, “Virginia is for lovers.”, she would wait in the parking lot until the owner of the car appeared and she would descend on them. I never really noticed it, but many people say she kept her southern accent until the end.

In the 70’s I remember people coming to our home where discussions would go late into the night. I now realize these talks among adults were about the forming of organizations such as the Registered Interpreters of the Deaf (R.I.D.), or the Massachusetts State Association of the

Deaf (MSAD), the thrill and hope of The Learning Center for the Deaf opening and promoting total communication, the possibility and indeed fact that an Episcopal woman would be ordained a deacon and a priest. The conversations and brainstorming that happened in the evenings would continue into phone calls during the day. I have memories of my mom with a phone (with the long cord) nestled between her shoulder and her ear while signing to my father, who in another room had another phone where he could then talk to the hearing person on the other end of the line. Video relay service! Not only was my mother involved and interpreting these (and numerous other) happenings she was working in her own “realm.” At first, it was sign language classes, then interpreting for high school students at Keefe Tech. In order to interpret information, she had to understand it, so at Keefe Tech she too got an education, be it about cars, computers, cosmetology and about high schoolers in the late 70’s to early 80’s.

(Unknown fact, she taught me how to identify the smell of pot since she had to learn to do so from the high school bathrooms!) Later she got her Masters at Assumption College – I believe my father helped her type most of her papers. Fan finished her career at Massachusetts

Rehabilitation Commission where she used her interpreting skills to help people expand possibilities in their careers, identify their legal rights and generally improve their lives. After her stroke, and after my father died things were challenging for her. I won’t say these times were easy. What I will say is that she eventually, always, did get up and try again. Be it perhaps continuing to drive (in her adapted car) longer than she should have, trying to stay stubbornly “independent” for as long as she could… she didn’t give up easily and she would have been ashamed of me if I ever did. In her later years she found joy in her friends (old and new) , her grand daughter, (and her grand daughter’s service dog), being in nature, a good cup of tea, short trips, “fake beer”, going to I Hop and Dairy Queen , church services, and listening to music.

Rather than mourning my Mom’s passing, we are gathering to celebrate the life she lived. Please join us for celebration of life service and reception to follow to share stories, laughs, and memories:

Date: June 13th, 2026, Time: 10:00

Location: Saint Andrews Episcopal Church 3 Maple Street, Framingham. ( Not my Dad's St. A's in Brookline!)

We also invite everyone attending to bring a written memory or favorite photo to share.

For online guestbook, please visit: www.everettfuneral.com