04 February 2010

RIP - Francis Reid (Allison Grayson Horton)

A couple of hours ago, I saw the following posts on my cell phone from twitter:

@RealNadiaB: Rest in peace Frances Reid (Alice Horton). She was a great lady whom I feel honored to have known...the heart and soul of Days of Our Lives. 10:22pm PST 02/03/10
@Ali_Sweeney: I'm so sad to hear the news about Frances Reid. She was a truly talented actress & and we are all lucky & proud to have known her. RIP 10:38pm PST 02/03/10
@MarkHapka: It is with a heavy heart that I express this. It has been revealed that Days legend Frances Reid (Alice Horton) has passed away. 10:29pm PST 02/03/10
@MarkHapka: RT Ms. Reid was 96 years old. She will be missed greatly and at this time our thoughts and prayers are with her family, loved ones & friends. 10:41pm PST 02/03/10
@mollydolllyy: To the family and friends and loved ones of Frances Reid. My thoughts and prayers are with you :( 11:10pm PST 02/03/10

Yes, I have a grip on reality. Yes, I know she is a celebrity and is very much entitled to her privacy, as is her family. BUT, with that in mind, you will find many people who have already taken a few moments to blog about this great actress! I wanted to add my observations to the mix, for what it's worth! In doing a tiny search online to confirm mainly the detail of her birth, I came across a few interesting things, which I will share along the way.

First, for those who are not fans of Days of Our Lives, here are a couple of links about Francis Reid and her career. IMDB and tv.com are two great resources to find out about most any actor or actress. Be sure to read the 'full biography' on the tv.com link. The only discrepancy regarding her age is the year of birth. Tv.com has her being born in 1913 while Wikipedia has her being born in 1914. Either way, she lived a long life, which I am certain was a full life. She was married to Philip Bourneuf in 1940, until his death in 1979. Ironically, for portraying one of the most beloved grandmothers (great and great-great grandmothers, too), she never had children of her own! This video is a great tribute to her legacy, even though it is from the show, I am certain that it applied to her real life as well...

She received many awards for her portrayal of Alice Horton on Days of Our Lives. She also received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement award in 2004. Her last appearance on the show, in a very fragile state, was in December 2007. In their annual Christmas Show with the great family tradition of individual ornaments being placed on the tree. Frances is now reunited with MacDonald Carey, who portrayed her husband on the show, Tom Horton. Even more importantly, she is finally reunited with her sweetheart, Philip Bourneuf, who died in 1979! I am sure that we will be seeing at least one memorial episode of Days dedicated to Frances. Even if you are not a fan of the show, if you happen to catch the tribute, I guarantee you will need tissues!

For me and my family, well, we are long time Days viewers. Yes, I've tried to stop watching it several times over the years, but always go back. There are those that believe that soap operas, such as they are, are all make believe and so far out there that they could never be based on any reality. Well, with most of them, I could agree, and, yes, Days has even had its moments...but for us, there have been several story lines on the show that occurred at the same time as the same story line plays out in our real lives. Including right now.....

Well, I could go into detail, but I won't....suffice it to say, Rest In Peace Ms. Frances Reid. Enjoy your reunions above and continue to watch over your worldwide family as we will always remember you and the love you brought to homes and families everywhere as Mrs. Allison Grayson Horton! Thank you for the memories....