THEA KLIROS

KLIROS--Thea. Thea Kliros, a fashion and children's book illustrator, died at home Thursday of lung cancer. She was 78. A strong, engaging spirit, she was generous in sharing her passion for life and art. Thea lived in Manhattan, but also cherished country weekends at her other home near Millbrook, NY. Born Althea Friedberg on August 16, 1935, in Queens, she studied at Bennington College and Yale University. She painted and exhibited, and had a long career as an award-winning illustrator. Successful in publications such as Vogue and Women's Wear Daily, she later turned to creating art grounded in the tradition of the great children's book illustrators of the early 1900s. Her works often featured her grandchildren and her beloved affenpinscher. She illustrated many books, but her rendition of The Wizard of Oz, published in 2010, was a favorite. Husbands Theodore Kliros and David Neuman died before her. She is survived by her companion David Douglas, children Adrian and Hilary Kliros, grandchildren Felix, Lotte, and Fabian, son-in-law Dan Walworth, daughter-in-law Clara Vega Kliros, and her dog Petra.