Obituary of Aletha Jo St. Louis

Aletha Jo St.Louis, 92, passed away peacefully at the Katherine Luther Home in Clinton, N.Y. on September 8, 2016. She was born in Williamsport Pa., the only child of Harold Frank Dassance of Newfield, N.Y. and Ada Olive Oliver of Texarkana, Texas. She was raised in Elmira, N.Y. and moved to Utica in 1936 when her father was transferred by Swift & Company. She attended UFA High School for two years and then the IBM School in Syracuse. She was then employed in Utica by the New York Central Railroad as a Keypunch Operator, Verifier, and Time Clerk. She was married to Donald Andrew St.Louis in 1944 and had her first child in 1945 while he was in the Army Air Corps on the Island of Tinian as a Radar Repair Technician. In the early 50's she took a correspondence course in Art through the Washington Institute of Art, while at the same time, raising 3 small children. She would work late into the night to complete her lessons and continued this tiring schedule to do her artwork. She did oil paintings, pencil sketches, painted birds on plates, repainted figurines for churches, and was always trying new art and craft techniques. Picture windows were always painted with oils or colored glass wax for every holiday or season. In 1984, after all her children had left home, she began her art business - "Jo's Ceramic Art". She painted a lot of small ceramic items (refrigerator magnets, figurines, etc) but would also paint large figurines, garden gnomes, dolls, and statues. Her art was always beautifully multi-colored and exquisitely detailed. She would paint for every holiday and occasion. She sold these items to Department and Country Stores in the Adirondacks, Central New York, and even the Southern Tier. Her work was always in high demand and sold quickly as soon as it arrived in the stores. The business continued to the mid 1990's when multiple medical problems made it impossible for her to continue. She is survived by her children: David, Timothy, Gail, Dana, Jodi, and Jon; their spouses; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased in death by her husband of 69 years and by her parents. At her request, no services are planned. She will be buried at Crown Hill Memorial Park, with her husband, at a later date at the convenience of the family. Arrangements by Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service, Inc, of Clinton.