OBITUARY Dorothy “GiGi” Coleman December 15, 1919 – September 27, 2018 Dorothy “Gigi” Jurisich Coleman born December 15th 1919, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by LOVE. She lived to be 98 ¾ years old. She was the beloved wife of the late James J. Coleman, Sr. to whom she was married for 69 loving years.
She was the cherished mother of James J. Coleman, Jr. (Minnie Cushing Coleman), Thomas B. Coleman (Dathel Hull Coleman), Peter D. Coleman (Jeanie Nolan Coleman), and Dian C. Winingder (Tom Winingder). Gigi was the proud grandmother of one grandson, 13 granddaughters and 29 great-grandchildren. She has two brothers, Richard B. Jurisich and Frank Jurisich (deceased).
The family’s message is that to be in Gigi’s presence is to be uplifted by her wonderful sense of humor and her unconditional love. She was full of life, love and laughter. She was always smiling, embracing everyone within reach and had a tremendous inner strength, grounded in her deep faith.
She was an accomplished artist with an eye for beauty, collecting art, beautiful flowers, traveling the world, and enjoying delicious food. She was a member of the first graduating class of McMail High School and then joined the Newcomb Art School class of 1941. Her greatest achievement came in 1980 when she became the founder and president of the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts along with Auseklis Ozols.
NOAFA on Magazine Street is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and has taught and nurtured over 20,000 students in various artistic endeavors. As a long time patron of the arts in New Orleans, she has been recognized with many awards. She was described as an “Art Visionary” when she received the New Orleans Art Council Mayor’s Art Award, along with The Sweet Arts from the Contemporary Arts Center, Role Model of the Arts by the Young Leadership Council, and the “Good Egg” Award from the Friends of City Park for her work in the renovation of the Pop Fountain.
In 2012, she received the WYES Celeste Judell Arts Award. She served on advisory boards of the Newcomb School of Art where a studio was named in her honor, as well as advisory boards of the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Roger Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Dean’s Advisory Council of Newcomb College, Tulane University. In conjunction with the 2017 Art for Art’s Sake, Dorothy was honored with a retrospective exhibit at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts showing her works created over the last seven decades.
She had many exhibits of her work. On Mother’s Day 2012 the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts exhibited her watercolors all executed within the previous three months. She was a lifetime member of the First Church of Christ Scientist in New Orleans.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, 5256 Magazine St., NOLA 70115, a 501 C3 non-profit. A service will be held on Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 2 PM on the grounds of Metairie Cemetery, weather permitting. In case of poor weather, services will be held in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home.
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