Grace Irene Handley

Grace Irene Handley was born on December 8, 1928, in Akron, Ohio, to Lucy and Dewey Stancil; she had one brother, Dale. From her mother, she received her love of music and art; from her father, a humorous, gentle spirit. A city girl, she developed her art and choral music gifts throughout her schooling. At 16 years old, while attending South High School in Akron, she met Kenneth Handley. He now admits “it was all a matter of prayer…I prayed for her and there she was!” They married on January 10, 1947, when she was 18 after he returned from the Army. Two years later they started a family of three children.

They remained in Akron for 12 years, then moved to a small rural town, Canal Fulton, where her life was busy raising her children and working part time at Barberton Hospital.
In 1966, they moved to San Diego, where they remained active in church and music, instilling this same love into all three of their children. She successfully survived the raising of 3 challenging teenagers while active in volunteer work and part-time employment at Grossmont and Alvarado Hospitals.

As the children grew and left home, Grace and Kenneth moved to Gallatin, Tennessee, where she continued her involvement in painting, choral music, and began a penchant for gardening. Membership and community involvement included the Eastern Star, church and community choirs, Gallatin Women’s Club, the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Art League, Kentucky Watercolor Society, and the Hendersonville Artists Guild. Her paintings, highly acclaimed, placed highly in statewide and local competitions and displayed at Vanderbilt University Hospital, area art museums, and area businesses. Her delicate touch with watercolor, pastels, and occasionally oils, reflected her love of nature, in floral and landscape works, with occasional portraits. Active employment in Gallatin, outside the home, included employment counseling for the state of Tennessee.

Upon retirement, they moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, to be closer to their children. She kept lovingly involved in their busy lives, praying for the growing family that now included five active grandchildren, then eventually, five great-grandchildren to whom she was known as Gi-Gi. Her joy of art accelerated there. She enjoyed membership in the Grants Pass Museum of Art, continued her painting, attending workshops, taking lessons, and selling some of her works. She remained active in choral music, and enjoyed concerts regularly with the Rogue Valley Symphony. She gave thousands of volunteer hours to Josephine Memorial, then Three Rivers Community Hospital, enjoying the “Pillow Talk” ladies, who serve there. For years, the Pacemakers, a lively and very active choral group that began at First Baptist Church, kept her and Ken busy with singing locally, with travel along the west coast and into Canada; many memorable times were savored with this group. Other travel was enjoyed with close friends to the Middle East, Alaska, and the American Southwest (to paint, of course).

They remained active in their church throughout their lives. Her faith was unwavering and her instruction to her children, lovingly inspired by the Holy Scriptures. She was well loved and admired by all who met her.

As Ken held her hand, she was embraced by the arms of her Master Creator, into eternity on January 14, 2017, a few days after their 70th wedding anniversary. She is survived by her husband, Kenneth; her daughters, Carol Hill, Linda and son-in-law Dennis Schmitke; her son David Handley and daughter-in-law Frances; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren including Shawn Hill and wife Heidi, David Hill and wife Jody, Kristin and husband Benji Erdmann, their daughters, Hannah and Maya, Heidi and husband Jason Pastega, their children Dario and Alessia, Andrew Schmitke and wife Jessica, and their son Lincoln.

We will all miss her sweet soprano voice, the gentle touch of her slender fingers, her delicate way with color on canvas, and oh yes, her apple dumplings! We love you Mom!

A memorial service will be at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, January 21, 2017 at Hull & Hull Funeral Directors with Pastors Wes Winn and Greg Widener officiating.