Arthur A. Thrall

1926 - 2015

Thrall, Arthur A. A distinguished artist and educator, he died on March 11, 2015 of prostate cancer one week before his 89th birthday. Until recently, he continued to create paintings and prints in his studio in Riverwest. Born in Milwaukee in 1926, he served in the US Armed Forces in Europe at the end of World War II. He was grateful for support from the G.I. Bill to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees at Milwaukee State Teachers College (UW-M) and the University of Illinois-Urbana. His teaching positions included junior high in Kenosha, State University New York-Geneseo, Milwaukee-Downer College, and Lawrence University in Appleton. He also taught classes in Finland, London, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He retired from Lawrence in 1990 and he and Win moved back to Milwaukee. Since 1949, his paintings and prints have been exhibited and collected in numerous museums, corporations, and galleries. Arthur is survived by his wife Win (nee Winifred Rogers), Shorewood, and children Grant (Shelly), Minneapolis, Wade (Terese), Chicago, Sara Cortese (Mark), Philadelphia, and Jay, Afton, Minnesota and seven grandchildren. His siblings live in Arizona and Canada. The family will greet friends on Sunday, March 22 from 1 5 PM at Northshore Funeral Services. There will be a memorial celebration on Saturday, May 9 from 1 to 5 PM at the Charles Allis Art Museum. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, to Lawrence University, directed to the Arthur A. Thrall Student Travel Fund, or to the Charles Allis Villa Terrace Museums.