By David Pepper
Born into a long, continuous line of feminists going back to the suffragists gathered at Seneca Falls, Frances “Francie” Garber Pepper passionately took up that mantle and dedicated her life to the cause of supporting women, women’s rights, and those in need.
A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, philanthropist, advocate, linguist, cottager and volunteer, Francie, 84, passed away on March 28, 2025, surrounded by her adoring family and after weeks of sharing memories with and saying goodbye to her closest friends and fellow activists.
Born and raised in Cincinnati’s Mount Auburn in the 1950s, Francie was shaped early on by the example of generations of strong women in her family, and by her father’s work caring for patients as an OBGYN at Christ Hospital. These early role models instilled in Francie a lifelong passion for social justice, women’s empowerment, and community service.
Francie enjoyed bare-footed childhood summers in the rustic and remote woods and islands of Georgian Bay in Ontario—her life-long second home and the source of friendships, adventures and endless stories and good times.
She graduated from Cincinnati’s Hillsdale School in 1958, then attended Smith College. Her gift with languages—she would ultimately become fluent in Spanish, Italian and French—led her to major in Spanish, and to spend extensive time in Franco’s Spain during and after college. Francie wrote about those years in her 2024 book, Letters from Spain.
On her return to Cincinnati, Francie worked as a legal secretary and interpreter to leading businesses in the city. Amid the many stops in her active social life in those years was a visit to the 1964 Kentucky Derby, where she met a shy and bespectacled (the horn-rimmed type) Pennsylvania transplant, John Pepper, who miraculously managed to edge out her many suitors. The two married in 1967, enjoyed a wonderful 57 years of companionship and love, and raised a family of four kids—John, David, Doug and Susan—followed by ten grandchildren.
John’s career at Procter & Gamble took the family around the globe, including stints in Rome and Brussels (twice), and extensive travel to dozens of countries. Francie embraced each new home with gusto, learning the language, bringing together communities of both expats and local friends and neighbors, all while navigating her growing family through the challenges and opportunities of living overseas. Francie kept up with those she befriended overseas for the rest of her life.
Upon returning to Cincinnati, Francie played leadership roles in numerous local organizations, such as the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Junior League, and Cincinnati Country Day School. As her kids grew, her activism fired into overdrive, and widened in scope. Some of her projects and causes were high profile; while other people and causes she supported were anonymous, or, to this day, only known between her and those she helped. And like one large family, Francie and John’s home in Wyoming became a gathering place for so many of the organizations, people and causes she supported.
Francie became a national voice for domestic violence awareness and prevention. She served on the board of the Cincinnati YWCA from 1996 and chaired the board from 2000 to 2004. Of all her philanthropic contributions, Francie was most proud of leading the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati’s effort to renovate a historic mansion into a shelter for battered women and their children. The funds also restored the YWCA’s historic Walnut Street headquarters and added a childcare center to the facility. Francie was a major supporter of the Sophia Smith Collection at her beloved Smith College, an internationally recognized archive dedicated to women’s history and home to the YWCA’s historical files.
Recently, Women Helping Women named its Survivor Equity Fund after Francie. Her and others’ generous support have seeded a fund that provides for the immediate safety needs of survivors of domestic violence, and their families.
In recognition of her years of service and support, Francie was honored with the inaugural Women of Distinction Award by the national YWCA USA, which celebrates professional women who demonstrate excellence, leadership, and integrity in advancing women’s economic empowerment and racial justice. Other honors she received along her life journey: Great Living Cincinnatian; the United Way’s National Tocqueville Award; the Urban Appalachian Council Kinship Award; the Richard & Sarah Allen Humanitarian Award Presented by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Third Episcopal District; the Cookie Nowland Award, presented by the Junior League of Cincinnati; the “Glorifying The Lion” award of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati; and the Citizen of the Year by the City of Wyoming, where she and John lived for more than 40 years.
Her advocacy also brought Francie into the world of politics, where she and an ever growing and diverse group of fellow activists fought tirelessly through campaign after campaign. Through barrier-breaking successes and heartbreaking failures, they persisted—creating bonds of support and friendship that never faded, including weekly coffees (virtual-style during COVID) and meet-ups that kept going long after the campaigns ended.
Along the way, Francie became a friend and steadfast supporter of a wide range of public servants—from national leaders such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Speaker Nancy Pelosi; to US Senators, governors and House members; to statehouse and city council members, school board members, and judges. She asked nothing of those she supported but good and honest public service.
Francie Pepper is survived by her husband, John Pepper; her four children, John Pepper (Maggie), David Pepper (Alana), Doug Pepper (Kim), and Susan Pepper (Jonathan); ten grandchildren: Tibby, Izzy, and Bo (children of John and Maggie Pepper); Jack and Charlie (children of David and Alana Pepper); Andrew, Katherine, and Molly (children of Doug and Kim Pepper); and Hubbard and Rhoda (children of Susan and Jonathan); and her brothers David and Helen. She is proceeded in death by her parents, Dr. Stanley T. Garber and Frances Davis Garber, and her brother, S. Thomas Garber.
She leaves behind a community forever touched and inspired by her compassion, generosity, and commitment to friends, community, those in need, and women’s rights. And a global network of fellow warriors for justice and a better world.
In lieu of flowers, Francie’s wish was that donations be sent to the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati (at https://ywcacincinnati.org/give) and the Women Helping Women Francie Pepper Survivors Fund, at womenhelpingwomen.org