Deborah Lass' Obituary
Deborah Lass, beloved artist, mother and friend, died on August 3rd, 2016 in Spring Lake, Michigan, surrounded by her family and friends. The daughter of Jean Paul and Hazel Scott Teas, Debbie was born in Cleveland on December 29, 1941. After her father worked as a chemist in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, the family moved back to Hudson, Ohio when she was in grade school and she remained there through her early married life.
In 1965, Debbie married Curtis R. Gier, also from Hudson. They had two children, Michelle and Curtis, Jr. After the death of Curtis Sr., Debbie married James Lass. The family moved to Spring Lake in 1984; the couple were later divorced.
Debbie was an accomplished artist and teacher, working in watercolor, collage and monoprint. A graduate of Penn Hall and the Cleveland Institute of Art with a degree in graphic design, she attended workshops in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Russia. Her work was frequently exhibited regionally, winning awards and critical acclaim. An article on her work appeared in Watercolor Magazine, and she was elected a member of the Watercolor USA Honor Society. She was also a member of the Michigan Water Color Society, West Michigan Artists Alliance and Lakeland Artists.
She was fascinated by the challenging, complex and ever-changing nature of water, and well-known for her often larger-than-average paintings, sometimes assembled in pairs or triptychs. She shared her passion through classes at the Muskegon Museum of Art and the Senior Center in Grand Haven, introducing many local residents to the joys of painting and expression.
Debbie’s watercolor self-portraits Liquid Days (1993) and Lakeside: Rebirth (1997) are in the collections of the Muskegon Museum of Art and Grand Valley State University Art Gallery, respectively. Her comments on Rebirth offer insights into her artistic and personal story:
“I have lived with rheumatoid arthritis for a long time. Water offers me a rare period of relief and comfort, so the idea of painting a picture of myself submerged in water was an obvious one. But there is another significant aspect to this image. Just as my family and I moved into our lakeside home, we lost one of our children. What you see in the painting is an image of the lake water helping me with the pain of loss and disease. Not all my work is this personal or therapeutic, of course, but art does offer many opportunities beyond mere decoration.”
She was an avid cook, known for food that tasted as good as it looked, and enjoyed gardening, swimming, attending concerts and museums and long weeks on the Upper Peninsula or abroad with a cadre of artist friends. She treasured overnight visits by her granddaughters, and found inspiration and solace in the C3 community.
Debbie is survived by her younger brother, T. Scott Teas (Pamela Hawkes) of Portland, Maine; her daughter Michelle (Pete) Summit of Howard City, Michigan; stepson and stepdaughter, Rick Lass of Santa Fe, NM and Wendi DeSchutter of Lloyd Harbor, New York; and beloved granddaughters Hailey and Rachel Summit and former sister-in-law, Mary Beth Teas. A celebration of her life will be held at 1:00PM on Sunday, September 11 at the Community Center in Grand Haven, MI. Bob Kleinheksel will officiate. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in her name to C3 Inclusive Spiritual Community or the Muskegon Museum of Art. The family would like to thank her many friends in the Spring Lake and Grand Haven area, especially friends Betty Porter and Ellie Williams and the staff of American House whose thoughtfulness enabled her to enjoy a life that she loved despite the limitations of her illness. Share memories with the family at their online guest book at www.vbkfuneralhome.com.
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