fare thee well my dear aunt jean

I got word this morning that my great aunt Jean passed away over the weekend. She had been ill for some time and I had not seen her in a good many years. She was the sister of my grandmother and daughter of the well known American artist, George Bellows. The image to the left is a lithograph of her as a child. She grew up in Woodstock, NY and then moved to NYC to pursue a career on the stage. She had bit parts here and there and was a staple in NY summer stock in the 1930's. She screen tested for Scarlett O'Hara and there are photographs of her (as a child) with Robert Taylor and the Gish sisters. We have some fabulous starlet photographs of her.

The last time I saw her was at a Bellows exhibit in Columbus, OH and that was almost ten years ago. Oh, how time flies.

Her passing has been long expected, as she has been in poor health for a good many years. But, it still gives me pause and the need to reflect on her life and the impact she had on my family. Bless you Jean, I hope they are serving up cocktails and mah-jong for you in heaven.