MERRY RENK CURTIS

Merry Renk-Curtis July 8, 1921 - June 17, 2012 Merry Renk, the famous and much loved goldsmith and sculptor, died in her San Francisco home. Her two daughters, plus Pathways Hospice, and two caregivers from Assista In-Home Care, nursed her through congestive heart failure, including her voluntary stopping of eating and drinking which led to a peaceful end, with dignity, surrounded by love. Merry is survived by many friends and adoring admirers, including her daughters Baunnie Mei Sea (Bonnie Curtis) and Sandra Curtis, her grandson Ian Espinocilla, and her grandaughters Sabrina Ivy Settle and Elinor Penelope Espinocilla. She will also be missed by her older sister Thelma Reinke and her family, and her nephew Rob Curtis. She was a self-taught jeweler who attended the Institute of Design in Chicago. She was twice widowed, first by Stanley Renk in 1945 and Earle Watt Curtis (the distinguished potter) who died in 2008. Merry was a founding member of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild. Her work is in the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Oakland Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Her work has appeared in many national magazines. A celebration of her life will be held on July 14, 1:30-4:30 pm, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1187 Franklin St, San Francisco. All are welcome. Voluntary contributions in her name should go to the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA) in San Francisco.