Jacqueline Owens Garness

1929 - 2016

Jacqueline Owens Garness passed away on Saturday, January 16, 2016. She was born on Sunday, November 24, 1929, in Chicago, IL, to Helen Agnes Welker and John A. Owens and has been a resident of Covington since 1970. The beloved wife of Wayne Durant Garness, she is survived by two sons - Daniel Wayne Garness and "Gunnar" Christopher Wayne Garness. She was preceded in death by her parents, her infant brother Raymond Owens, and one daughter - Novi Jean Garness. "Jackie" grew up in uptown New Orleans, attending Holy Name of Jesus School and Ursuline Academy. An accomplished artist from childhood, she worked as a commercial artist for much of her life, for the New Orleans Times Picayune, Denver Post and Maison Blanche, Jackie returned to art studies at Southeastern Louisiana University in the '80's and exhibited fine art at LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, and galleries in Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico and South Dakota. She was a respected member of the St. Tammany Parish arts scene, exhibiting in numerous shows, and a member of several regional art associations. Her artwork is a vivid celebration of the wild beauty of the Louisiana landscape, rendered with Fauve-inspired colors and strong, exuberant shapes. Her paintings are in the collections of both old and new St. Tammany Courthouses, the New Orleans City Hall Mayor's Office, and numerous private collections. Jackie loved New Orleans and southern Louisiana, attending Mardi Gras yearly for 70 years, and the Jazz Fest often. She was known for her gentle, loving spirit, her keen intelligence and humanity, her generous embracing of everyone she met, joyous creativity and soulful Creole cooking. She and her loving husband, Wayne, would have celebrated their 65th anniversary in Oct. 2016 - they were inseparable to the end. She will be remembered as a great light of this world. Jacqueline's family will celebrate her life with a private memorial service. She was interred next to her daughter at Pinecrest Memorial Gardens in Covington. E. J. Fielding Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements. Share a memory on our tribute wall at www.ejfieldingfh.com.