Louise Overstreet Clift's Obituary
Louise Overstreet Clift passed away on Friday February 26, at the Bright Glade Convalescent Center. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Snead Clift Sr. Louise Clift is survived by her daughter Nancy Spicer and her husband David and her son Joseph Snead Clift Jr. and his wife Jo. Mrs. Clift was born in Salem Virginia and always thought of this state as her home. She studied art at The Richmond Professional Institute, and as a young woman began a career as a serious working artist. Louise became adept in all media and painted everything from trail signs at Morrow Mountain State Park in North Carolina to portraits. She also worked as a draftsperson at the Coast and Geodetic Survey office in Portsmouth, Virginia as she continued painting at home during her free time. Throughout the years she completed portraits in oils and pastels of many Memphians while working with the Brush and Pencil Studio. Her favorite, though often unwilling subjects were her children who now feel blessed to possess a wealth of her portraits and other works. Louise Clift was also an accomplished watercolorist and exhibited often in Memphis. She felt fortunate to have a painting accepted in the Annual Mid-South Exhibition at the Brooks Museum of Art. She and her husband moved to New Jersey in the 1970’s where she continued her work. When she returned to Memphis, she resumed her painting in a more limited fashion until the onset of Alzheimers disease. One of her greatest legacies to her children is a lifelong love of and interest in the arts. They will always enjoy their beautiful portraits, exquisite botanicals, landscapes and still lifes created by her over many decades. Services will be held at 2:30 pm at The Memorial Park Funeral Home with interment to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery. Dr. Jane Williams, Chaplain at St. Mary’s Episcopal School will conduct the services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association or to Mullins United Methodist Church.
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