Frances "Stevie" Houston Wharton

Frances Houston (Stevie) Wharton died on October 16, 2001 after a 16 year battle with bladder cancer. She was born on August 12, 1925, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She attended school in Memphis, TN and graduated from the University of Memphis in 1947 where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Stevie sang with the Memphis Open Air Theater as a lyric soprano and was a student of Zelma Lee Thomas for 5 years during that period. In the summer of 1946 she received the singular honor of serving as Miss Tennessee for the state of Tennessee in Philadelphia for the International Lions Club Convention. She later studied in NYC from 1948 to 1950 with the famed Italian maestro, Maurice Pagano. Music and drama were a life long love and passion of hers. One highlight of her life was performing and singing for Indonesia's President Sukarno in 1960 while she and her husband, Lt. Col Carey Summers, served as Military Attaché in Jakarta, Indonesia for 3 years. As she grew older she turned her heart and talents to children's theater in both Texas and Tennessee and helped children develop an appreciation of music. In 1950 she married John Cary Summers and they were married 27 years during which they lived in Tripoli, Libya and Indonesia. They had three sons, John Summers of Houston, Vic Summers of Jacksonville, Fla. and Dr. Brock Summers of Los Angeles. In 1977 Lt. Colonel Summers died suddenly while vacationing from their home in Lexington, Tn. She later married family physician, Dr. Warren C. Ramer, Sr. in 1980 who later died on Christmas Day 1994. In 1998 while visiting California, she met James F Wharton, a retired food industry executive, and they were married in October of that year. They resided in Corona Del Mar, California, and spent three wonderful year traveling, playing golf (a favorite of Stevie’s), and making new friends throughout the area. She is survived by her three sons John, Vic (Cheri) and Brock (Paul), and three Granddaughters Shannon, Heather, and Bethany Summers of Jacksonville. She also leaves stepsons Dr. Warren Ramer, Jr (Edith), Dr. Henry Ramer (Linda) of Tennessee, Jeff Wharton (Lourdes) of Marietta, Ca, Matthew Wharton of Santa Ana, Ca. and stepdaughter Christy Wharton Netro (Bill) of Santa Ana. Additionally she leaves11 Step Grandchildren, Russ and Carey Ramer and Katie and Daniel Ramer of Tennessee, and Kara Netro, Bethany Netro, Aryella Franco, and Lizzette, Alyssa, Amber, and Andrian James Wharton of California. Her service will feature the music she loved so much, and will be highlighted at the end by the Alleluia Chorus which is so significant to her because members of the Memphis Open Air Theater, as a surprise send off, sang to her as she was leaving to represent Miss Tennessee in Philadelphia. The funeral services will be 10:00 AM Saturday, October 20, 2001 at the First United Methodist Church in Lexington with Rev. Bill Vaughn officiating. Interment will follow in Lexington Cemetery. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, please make donations to either the Newport Center United Methodist Church of Corona Del Mar, Ca. or the First United Methodist Church of Lexington, Tn.

Frances "Stevie" Houston Wharton

August 12, 1925 - October 16, 2001