Genevieve, Louella (Bailey) Fancher, 80, of Harrison, died at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, Nov. 7 (2007). She was the wife of J.K. Fancher, Jr. for 59 years. She had been a resident of Golden Living Nursing Center (formerly Harrison Nursing Home) for the past seven months. She died of complications from being a nine-year victim of Alzheimer's disease.
|
|
Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday,
Nov. 10, at First Presbyterian Church, located at 220 North Arbor Drive in
Harrison with the Rev. Chip Andrus officiating. Interment will be at
Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation hours will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 9, at the church. Arrangements are by Holt Memorial Chapel.
Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 220 North Arbor
Drive, Harrison, Ark. 72601.
Genevieve was the daughter of the late Clarence Everet Bailey and May
Angeline (Plumlee) Bailey of Oak Grove. She was born May 10, 1927.
She is survived by her husband, J.K. Fancher, Jr. of Harrison and their son,
Terryl Nolan Fancher and Kathleen Amy (Grover) Fancher of Braintree, Mass.
She was the grandmother of Kimberly Diane (Fancher) Kelley of East
Bridgewater, Mass. and Jennifer Kaye (Fancher) Micalone of Natick, Mass. She
was the great-grandmother of Daniel Paul Kelley, nine months, of East
Bridgewater, Mass.
She is also survived by her sister, Loy Standlee of Berryville.
Genevieve graduated from Green Forest High School in 1945 and attended
Arkansas State Teachers College (now University of Central Arkansas). Her
professional career included school teacher, bookkeeper, salesperson and
bank teller. In 1963, she began a second career as an artist. She studied
under more than a dozen nationally known artists in seminars across the
country. She was a prolific and versatile artist and worked in many styles
and was equally proficient with oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels.
Her portraits hang in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis and
in the Arkansas Governor's mansion. Her paintings have been reproduced on
calendars, magazine covers and limited edition prints. Her paintings are in
homes and offices in more than 20 states and one foreign country. She had
won many best of show awards in competition shows.
She was a charter member (1963) of the Harrison Art League and continued as
an active member until her death.
She had square danced since 1965. She was one of the first female square
dance callers in this area. She and husband J.K. organized the Skyline
Promenaders (pre-teen dancers), Fanchainers (adults) and Stardusters (adult)
square dance clubs. Together, they created over 500 square dancers over a
30-year period. They attended square dances, festivals and conventions in
most of the states including Hawaii. She was a talented seamstress and
created and made most of their square dance costumes.
She was baptized a Southern Baptist as a teenager and had been a member of
the First Presbyterian Church in Harrison for nearly 50 years. She had
volunteered at the church in a number of capacities including Sunday school
teacher, director of Vacation Bible School and in cleaning up the church
building following the 1961 flood.