Obituary, Joellyn Toler Duesberry

 

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Joellyn Toler Duesberry, age 72, died on August 5, 2016 of pancreatic cancer. Born and brought up in Richmond, Va., she eventually matriculated to Smith College, graduating in 1966 with highest honors. En route to her career as a landscape painter, she acquired a master’s degree from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. Her interest in landscape began at age 5 while traveling on a train, where she became transfixed by the images passing by her window. Painting followed soon after and never stopped until the spring of 2015. Living in New York City, her career blossomed. As a Woodrow Wilson scholarship recipient followed by a National Endowment for the Arts grant she was able to reduce her work as a fine art appraiser and spend a greater amount of time painting. She acquired a home in Millbrook, NY, which allowed her the chance to translate her love of the land into broad statements of that love through her artistry. Many exhibitions followed her development as a painter. Her work resides in museums in New York, Maine, Virginia, California and Denver Art Museum and others in Colorado, and innumerable private collections. She moved to Greenwood Village, Colorado, after marrying Dr. Ira J. Kowal in 1986 and joined him on private plane flights all over the western United States including several flights to Alaska where she joyously painted while he fished. The two of them loved skiing together, as well. Joellyn had overcome several serious illnesses but not this cancer. Besides her husband, she leaves behind her sister Pat Washko, stepdaughters Rebekah Kowal (David Bullwinkle) and Jessica Kowal (Blaine Harden) and grandchildren Lucinda & Arno Harden and Noah & Isaac Bullwinkle. A memorial service will be planned in the future. Contributions in Joellyn’s name to Compassion & Choices, an organization Joly strongly believed in, would be welcome. Compassion & Choices, P.O. Box 101810, Denver, CO, 80250, 800.247.7421, https://www.compassionandchoices.org.

Author: Harlem Valley News