Tag Archives: artist

In Memoriam: Rumson-Raised RFH 2011 Grad, Artist, Skateboarder, Musician, Thomas ‘Cooper’ Ley, 30

“You gave no one a last farewell, nor ever said goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, and only God knows why. A million times we will miss you. A million times we will cry. If love alone could have saved you, you never would have died. In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still, in our hearts you hold a place no one else can fill.” 

It is with tremendous sorrow that the Ley family announces the unexpected passing of Thomas Cooper Ley on Jan. 11 — a beautiful soul taken too soon. 

Continue reading In Memoriam: Rumson-Raised RFH 2011 Grad, Artist, Skateboarder, Musician, Thomas ‘Cooper’ Ley, 30

In Memoriam: Fair Havenite, Artist, Bonnie McKee Tortora, 83

“Bonnie’s greatest assets were her always positive attitude, dedication to the personal growth of others, her smile, good humor and a true love of all creation, from the birds to the troubled souls she helped heal throughout her life. She will be missed by those who knew her. Her legacy resides in all those who have crossed her path.” ~ family of Bonnie McKee Tortora

Fair Havenite and artist Bonnie McKee Tortora passed away. She was 83.

Continue reading In Memoriam: Fair Havenite, Artist, Bonnie McKee Tortora, 83

In Memoriam: Noted Area Artist, Shirley Cunneff, 93

Area artist Charlotte “Shirley” A. Cunneff passed away peacefully, two of her five sons by her side, on June 3. She was 93.

Shirley “was especially fond of the watercolor medium, earning membership to various art societies and exhibiting her work for sale and in juried competitions.
She received numerous accolades for her art, including the Garden State Watercolor Society’s Award for Excellence for a painting of abalone shells in 1996.
Private collectors from Hawaii to Paris have displayed her work in their homes.
Other passions included travel, cooking and speaking out against the Vietnam War. In October 1967, she attended the March to End the War in Vietnam in Washington, D.C., wearing her mink coat to show that it wasn’t just ‘hippies’ protesting the war.
Doctors’ wives were opposed to it, too.

Loved ones of Shirley Cunneff in her obituary
Continue reading In Memoriam: Noted Area Artist, Shirley Cunneff, 93