Kate “Kitty” O’Meallie Johnson, widow first of John Ryan O’Meallie and later of Lee Harney Johnson, both of New Orleans, succumbed to heart failure at Glenaire Retirement Community of Cary, NC at the age of 97.
Born in Bennettsville, SC, Kitty was the eldest of five children to banker Earle Chamness and his wife Essie Bethea. At the age of 2, Kitty took crayon in hand and launched a successful career in art that would see 16 Presidents come and go. Kitty lost her mother at age 12 and was further raised by Daisy Kate Bethea Chamness. At age 16, Kitty enrolled at Newcomb School of Art, Tulane University, New Orleans, and graduated during the darkest days of the Depression.
After her years as a commercial artist with the Times Picayune, O’Meallie went on to have 29 major exhibitions, among them four solo museum shows. O’Meallie has been represented by galleries in New Orleans, Dallas, Winston-Salem, Lake Charles, LA, and Georgetown, SC. Her paintings are housed in permanent collections including: New Orleans Museum of Art, Meridian Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Masur Museum, Tulane University, Wake Forest University, Houston Athletic Center, New Orleans Public Library, and Louisburg College. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of American Artists. Before her death, Kitty was able to view her current retrospective exhibition (May 31-July 31) at Glenaire in Cary. The show consists of a dozen major artworks spanning the artist’s range of subjects and materials. Her theme has remained constant - the beauty and intricacy of Nature and the vision of negative space.
Kitty O’Meallie Johnson is survived by two daughters, both of whom followed their mother into fine art: Sue Ryan (O’Meallie) Ericsson (husband F. Ron Wakelin) and Kathryn Bethea (O’Meallie) Launey (husband John Pitts Launey); two step-sons: Lee McKay Johnson (wife Alice Owens Johnson) and W. Irving Johnson (wife Cheryl Johnson); grandchildren: Michelle Bethea Launey White, Christopher Ryan Launey, Shannon Vaughn Launey Nielsen (Kevin Nielsen), F. Ryan Wakelin (Mai Ngo Wakelin), and Lee Baillie Wakelin; step-grandchildren: Lilah Neal Johnson, Morgan McKay Woolverton (Laura Shoemaker), Emily Johnson Teuber (C. Guido Teuber), and Nicholas Johnson; great grandchildren: Courtney Michelle Finn, Georgia Bethea White, Christopher Michael Launey, Daniel Alexander Launey, Justin Trevor Nielsen, Thai Frederick Wakelin; step great-grandchildren: Anna Woolverton, Liam Teuber, Leif Teuber, Beau Woolverton.
Funeral services were held at St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, LA. A memorial service to celebrate Kitty’s life and her love of friends and family will be held at Glenaire in the multipurpose room on June 30, 2014 from 1:00 pm to 2:30.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be given to Glenaire Residents’ Assistance Fund, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, or New Orleans Museum of Art.
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