Jeanne Rainwater Kelley

JEANNE RAINWATER KELLEY the daughter of Cloud Night and Lula (Dump) Burrow Rainwater died Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Jeanne was born in Little Rock on February 4, 1920. She was the great niece of Isham Lafayette Burrow who founded Central Collegiate Institute in Altus, Arkansas which became Hendrix College when it was moved to Conway, Arkansas. Jeanne attended Little Rock public schools, Hendrix College, and the University of Arkansas and was affiliated with Chi Omega sorority. She was a former member of the Junior League of Little Rock. Jeanne was a talented artist and free hand potter. She received her early art training from Hendrix College art professor, Louis Freund formerly of Eureka Springs. Later in life Jeanne became close friends with Louis and his wife, Elsa, a renowned watercolorist and jeweler. In the early 1970s, Jeanne's love of art took her to the Arkansas Arts Center as a volunteer in its new gift shop. After the gift shop manager retired, Jeanne was hired by Townsend Wolfe, director of the Arts Center, as the shop manager. Among the items that Jeanne was interested in featuring in the shop were quality handmade American crafts. American crafts were just emerging as collectable gift items, and Jeanne traveled to markets in Texas, North Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania to find objects for sale in the Arts Center shop. Jeanne also began featuring Arkansas crafts in the Arts Center gift shop, and encouraged Arkansas's most well known potter, Rosemary Fisher, to sell her craft through the gift shop. In the 1980s Jeanne learned the art of hand crafted pottery from Rosemary Fisher and Gayle Batson, instructors at the Arts Center. She created a series of hand crafted houses, circa early 1800s, that were replicas of the structures located at the Arkansas Territorial Restoration. Jeanne later donated the entire original series to the Historic Arkansas Museum. She also sketched pictures of churches she saw while traveling and later created detailed, foot- high ceramic constructions. She was drawn to churches--especially small ones in humble surroundings—because of their "humanness". She would say that "a little church tells all about what has gone on in that wee section of the world, the births, the christenings, the weddings and funerals---it's all there". Jeanne was a wonderful world traveler and loved to learn about different cultures. She was as comfortable in a small house in San Miguel, Mexico as she was in an apartment in Santa Fe or in a small town in Italy or a hotel room in England or Portugal or in a little riverfront cabin in Scott, Arkansas. Her favorite traveling companion was her long time friend, Cissy Brandon (Mrs. Walter N.). Jeanne was a member of Bill's Club. She volunteered at the Wolfe Street Center and helped start the Alcoholics Anonymous Women's Dorm. She was a close friend of Joe McQueeny. She was a member of the Ecumenical Buddhist Society. She was a graduate of Carl Jung's Centerpoint Program. She was a member of Dharma Friends. She was among the founding families of Westover Hills Presbyterian Church. She was a member of Second Presbyterian Church. Jeanne was a friend to all. She treated everyone with grace and dignity. She had an incredible love of life, a naughty sense of humor, and was wise and worldly at the same time. She was very optimistic and brought enthusiasm to those who knew her. She was a library patron and a voracious reader, reading books, eight magazines and two newspaper subscriptions a week. Jeanne was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Marjorie Rainwater Keyes Thalheimer Smith, and her former husband, G. Larry Kelley. She is survived by her daughters, Eileen Coe and husband Gary of Rogers, Arkansas, Susan Schallhorn and husband, Tom of Bentonville and Little Rock, and their daughters, Caroline Clarke and her husband John of Bentonville and their children, Laura Katherine, Elizabeth and Jackson Clarke of Bentonville, and Susan B. Schallhorn and children, Andrew and Madeline Coke of Dallas, Texas. Her beloved nephews, Cloud Keyes and wife, Nancy and their children and grandchildren, and Griff Keyes and wife, Kenan and their children and grandchildren of Little Rock. She is also survived by her longtime caregiver and friend, Shawnda Washington and her sisters and care team. A very special thank you to Arkansas Hospice for their compassionate care of Jeanne. A visitation will be held at Ruebel Funeral Home on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 from 4 to 6 p.m. A private graveside will be held at Roselawn Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock, Ark., 72201 or Arkansas Arts Center, P.O. Box 2137, Little Rock, Ark., 72203. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.