Frances L. Van Scoy, Ph.D., 76, of Morgantown, passed away Monday, August 25, 2025. She was born November 18, 1948, in Mansfield, Ohio, the daughter of the late Fred Hubley Van Scoy and Catherine Frances Cox.
She earned her B.S. in Mathematics from Michigan State University and her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia.
She began her academic career at Old Dominion University before joining the faculty at West Virginia University in 1979, where she retired after 45 years from the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. In 2013, Frances was inducted into the CSEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Her research and teaching spanned many fields, from software engineering to game development, and helped establish the MS in Software Engineering program at WVU.
She also served as coordinator for Advanced Scientific Computing Initiatives under Governor Cecil H. Underwood, traveling internationally to advance technology and education.
Frances was a devoted member of Wesley United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school for 25 years and was a certified lay speaker for the United Methodist Church.
She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Mayflower Society, Col. Zackquill Morgan chapter of DAR, and the Daughters of 1812. She also enjoyed writing short stories as an amateur author and doing genealogy research.
She is survived by her long-time companion, Frank Cox, of Morgantown; and several first cousins.
Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until the 1 p.m. funeral service Thursday, September 4, in Wesley United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Martha Ognibene officiating. Private burial will be in the Greenwich Greenlawn Cemetery, Greenwich, Ohio.
Condolences at www.dering-henson.com.
