Lois Batchelor Howard
Lois Batchelor Howard, longtime Pen Woman, died on June 7, 2022 at her home in Desert Hot Springs, California, after suffering with cancer for two years. She was 90 years old.
Born in Alden, New York, where she attended a one-room schoolhouse, Howard went on to receive her teaching degree from Fredonia State University of New York and her bachelor’s in music in organ from the University of Michigan.
She was one of the first female carillonneurs to play the Charles Baird Carillon and later enjoyed playing the Spreckels Organ at Balboa Park in San Diego. She began her long career as a church organist in her hometown at age 11 and continued to play in Toledo, Ohio, San Diego, and Desert Hot Springs until she was 84.
Lois married Russell Howard in 1954 and the couple moved to Toledo, Ohio, where they raised four daughters. Many there remember her as a music teacher and private piano instructor. Howard also performed in numerous concerts as a pianist and accompanist. As a musical docent at the Toledo Museum of Art, she played the Dutch organ and was also active in the Monday Musicale organization.
In 1985, Howard moved to San Diego, California, and joined the La Jolla Branch of NLAPW. After relocating to the desert, she transferred her membership to the Palm Springs Branch, where she was active until her passing.
Howard was an honored member in both letters and music, and frequent contributor to The Pen Woman magazine. She wrote poetry, fiction, and children’s books and composed musicals.
Lois will be remembered for her kindhearted nature and joy for life. She continued to write poetry and share it with friends and family even during her times of pain. We would look forward to receiving an email from her with a poem attached. She was a very special woman. She will be missed.
Lois Perdue
December 13, 1941 – January 5, 2022
Lois Rae Perdue lived fully in every moment of her journey, and, much like her art, she looked forward to the next interesting stop in her layered life. She lived her days with intention while bravely fighting her battle with pancreatic cancer, passing away at home on January 5, 2022. She was 80 years old.
A very active art and letters member of the Fort Lauderdale Branch of NLAPW, Lois served for over 10 years as the first vice president, responsible for monthly luncheon venues and speakers, as well as the Student Achievement Awards chair and publicity chair. Additionally, she presented abstract painting workshops to attract new members and raise funds for the student scholarship fund.
More than anything, Lois cherished volunteering, donating, and raising monies for the branch’s annual Achievement Awards. “I am so proud of all that we accomplished with our achievement awards, by raising more money each year and offering the support college women always need,” she has said.
As a water media artist, Lois saw her artwork evolve into abstract landscapes that were, in her words, “big, organic, and intense.” Much of her artwork was influenced by her South Florida roots and worldwide travels.
She consistently won awards at the local, state, and national level. Lois received Gold Coast Watercolor Society’s Florida Focus 2018 Best in Show award and signature membership. In 2018, Florida Watercolor Society awarded her that year’s Art Societies Award. Her last award was the Best in Show for “Chasing the Blues Away” at the NLAPW Florida Bi-Annual Art Competition, 2020-21. She was represented by Heritage Gallery and Framing, Tamarac, Florida.
Lois was born December 13, 1941 to Frank and Rose Sokolow, moved to Miami at age 2, and later attended Miami Senior High School (1959). She yearned to become an artist, but initially pursued careers in both journalism and public relations. Her work included articles for the Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal, and Daily Business Review.
She also served as the marketing director for Benihana Corporation, provided in-house marketing for a large legal firm, and was VP at Hank Meyer Public Relations before forming her own PR firm, Lois R. Frimet and Associates (Davie, Florida). In the ensuing years, Lois engaged in freelance business writing while also returning to college to pursue her long-delayed degree, ultimately graduating Magna Cum Laude from FIU’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication at age 52.
After retiring in 2009, Lois discovered a passion for painting big, intense, intriguing abstracts reflecting her South Florida roots and worldwide travels. She quickly emerged as a respected artist, winning multiple local, state, and national awards. Through her art, Lois was able to assist struggling young art students by teaching abstract workshops and donating the proceeds to organizations that awarded student scholarships.
—Submitted by Fort Lauderdale Branch Immediate Past President Phoenix Marks
Jeanne Dupre
April 1, 1948 – May 26, 2022
Central New York Pen Woman Jeanne (Schmidt) Dupre died on May 26, 2022 after a short illness. Born in Syracuse, New York, she was raised in Constantia, New York, and graduated from Central Square High School. She continued her studies at Farmingdale State College, obtaining her associate’s degree in graphic art. In 1969, Jeanne married her high school sweetheart, Richard “Dick” J. Dupre.
Jeanne Dupre had a lifelong passion for the arts. She was a talented artist specializing in watercolors and acrylics. Her focus and love for painting the Adirondacks started 54 years ago on her honeymoon.
Dupre attended numerous art shows receiving various awards. Her work is on display in many galleries in the Adirondacks, where she loved spending summers camping. Quite often, she acted as “artist-in-residence” at several Adirondack resorts. Dupre also loved sailing and hiking in the woods. Those outdoor passions inspired her paintings of misty mornings on the lake and lush woodland trails.
Dupre participated in many Central New York Branch events and was ready to lend a helping hand whenever she could. Her dreamy landscapes inspired many of Pen Women poets. She belonged to several other art organizations throughout Central New York. All who knew her noted her kindness and generosity.
Ruth B. Muir
The Iowa City Branch of the NLAPW lost one of its treasured members on December 13, 2021. Ruth B. Muir, 97, an arts member since 2000, died in Iowa City. She had lived in Iowa City since 1948, when her late husband, Robert, accepted a position at the University of Iowa.
Muir, a pastel and etching artist, was born in 1924 in Washington, D.C. She received a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and a master’s in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Iowa.
Her art has been exhibited at a variety of venues and galleries. Some include: featured artist at Oaknoll Retirement Residence, where she lived the past several years; the Iowa City Senior Center; Midwest Bank; Barnes & Noble Books; Summit Street Gallery; and Mercy Hospital, Cedar Rapids.
A mother of three, Muir was an extensive world traveler and volunteered with many organizations, including the Iowa City Crisis Center and as a docent at the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Her varied work history showed a woman of many interests and professional excellence.
Muir helped our Iowa City Branch in many ways and was the consummate encourager. She presented programs on her art and also helped procure other speakers. Always with a smile and kind word, she said the best advice she ever received was “T=to thine own self be true.”
Her gentle, creative spirit will be greatly missed.
Lee VanSiclen Tatem
June 10, 1929 – December 27, 2021
The Fort Lauderdale Brach of NLAPW is sad to say goodbye to our dear, longtime friend, arts member (over 50 years) and past president (1998-2000) Lee VanSiclen Tatem, who passed away peacefully at her home on December 27, 2021. She was 92 years young.
She was loved for her endless, positive energy, passion for art and life, and generous spirit. Dearly loved by all, Lee will be deeply missed!
A longtime art gallery owner, artist, and jewelry maker, Lee loved presenting beach glass and silver wire workshops and demonstrations and teaching private silversmith classes.
Her Tatem Gallery on Las Olas Boulevard — Fort Lauderdale’s oldest, most fashionable shopping district and famous street — was a small and cheerful gallery that delighted patrons. Lee organized monthly shows and kept an ample stock of contemporary artworks. The gallery featured paintings, graphics, sculptures, and reliefs in bronze, marble, alabaster, wood, and plaster. Locally made ceramics were also available.
Lee loved discovering, introducing, and advancing the artistic careers of local artists. Much of the work showcased was by South Florida artists, interspersed with Italian works and other European pieces.
—Submitted by Fort Lauderdale Branch Immediate Past President Phoenix Marks
Barbara Ann Daly
Barbara Ann Page-Stocks Daly, Kansas Branch member in the Kansas City Area, died on June 22, 2022. She was 90 years young. A lifetime NLAPW member, she was of sound mind and stayed actively creative up until her last days.
She was a well-known artist in the greater Kansas City area. Her other affiliations included Overland Park Arts (commissioner from 1979 to retirement), Overland Park Historical Society (charter member), Zonta International; Daughters of the American Revolution, MidAmerica Pastel Society (charter member), Kansas City Artist Coalition (charter member), Village Printmakers Guild, Village Painters, Great Kansas City Art Association, Tri-County Art League, the American Sewing Guild, and American Association of University Women.
Catherine Margaret Rayburn
1945-2022
The Cape Canaveral Florida Branch is sad to report that Catherine Margaret Rayburn, a 35-year letters member of the Cape Canaveral Pen Women, and daughter of our founder Elaine Murray Stone, passed away on May 25 at the age of 77.
Cathy’s adventurous life began in New York City. She graduated from the University of Florida and received a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts. Cathy’s first job was with NASA, where she typed countdowns for the Gemini Program. She later secured a research job with Dr. Suigard Norman at the University of Florida Medical School, and three years later was a member of the faculty.
Cathy traveled extensively in Europe and attended an international meeting of the Reticular Endothelial Association in Freiberg, Germany. At the medical school, Dr. Robert L. Rayburn wooed and then married her, and they had three children.
Most of Cathy’s life centered on science. She worked at NASA; engaged in medical research at the University of Massachusetts, University of Florida, Baylor University, and University of Utah; and wrote many papers for scientific journals. At Florida, she studied food poisoning in the Department of Pathology, research that led to a new glaucoma drug. At Baylor, she worked with Dr. DeBakey, the famed heart surgeon. At the University of Utah, she used an atomic absorption machine to study formulas and mother’s milk.
Back in Florida, Cathy edited her mother’s last 10 books and collaborated on her last book, Angels in the Bible, published by Paulis Press. Since joining the Cape Canaveral Pen Women in 1987, she has served as president, vice president, and secretary. She also worked three jobs during this time: teaching p/Physiology and biology/chemistry at Eastern State College, designing homes for Mike Malone Construction, and working as a travel agent with the Morris Travel Agency.
Cathy’s hobbies were genealogy, long-distance biking, camping, river running, mountain climbing, cross and downhill skiing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and classical piano specializing in Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. She often performed her grandfather’s piece, Maracas, which he wrote for the Rockettes of New York City.
—Submitted by Marion Coste