Jean Lawman Shellito

Shellito, Jean Lawman, 91, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Cremation has taken place. A reception for family and friends will be held on Friday, July 22 at Larksfield Place, 7373 29th Street N., 5:00-7:00pm. Memorial services will be held Saturday, July 23rd, 10:00am, East Heights United Methodist Church, 4407 E. Douglas. Jean was born in Manchester, Iowa on April 30, 1920 to Dawn and Ernest Lawman. She earned an Associates Degree from Stephens College in Columbia, MO in 1939 and a BFA from the University of Iowa in 1941, where she joined Delta Gamma sorority. Jean also studied studio arts at the Art Institute of Chicago. Jean married Dr. John G. Shellito from Independence, Iowa, on December 26, 1941. They were married 68 years. For the first 3 years of their marriage during WWII, Jean worked as a draftsperson while John was in the Army Medical Corps in Europe. Jean and John moved to Wichita in 1949 where he had accepted a position as a general surgeon at the new Wichita Clinic. Jean continued to paint with watercolors and enjoyed the lively art scene in Wichita. She especially enjoyed painting outdoors in the Flint Hills. Jean was a founding member of Gallery XII in 1977, from which she retired in 2008. In 2002, Jean and John moved to Larksfield Place, where Jean recognized and filled the need for an in-house art gallery, which became The Gallery at Larksfield Place. She curated and assisted in that role until 2010. Jean was a member of many arts groups both locally and regionally, including the Wichita Artists Guild, the Kansas Watercolr Society, and Wichita Women Artists. Jean was awarded the Kansas Watercolor Society Purchase Award in 1982. She was a member of East Heights United Methodist Women and PEO. She was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. Jean is preceded in death by parents, Ernest and Dawn Lawman, and her husband, Dr. John G. Shellito. She is s her three sons, Dr. Judd E. Shellito, wife Susan, New Orleans; Dr. Paul C. Shellito, wife Barbara, Boston; Dr. John L. (Jack) Shellito, wife Mary (Mimi), Wichita; six grandchildren, Anne, John (wife Haley Bolin), Peter, Jena, Allison (husband Christopher Rinaldi) and Natalie and great niece, Rosamond Edison. Please send condolences to www.dlwichita.com. Memorials should be directed to United Methodist Open Door, Inc., P.O Box 2756, Wichita, KS, 67201. The family would like to express its appreciation to the staff of Larksfield Place for its excellent care. Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Reception for family and friends will be Friday, July 22nd at Larksfield Place, 7373 29th Street N., 5:00-7:00pm.