Editha Hayes Spencer, Paso Robles artist and poet, died Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010, at Twin Cities Hospital in Templeton. After having suffered a long illness, she died quietly in her sleep and went gentle "into that good night." She was born in Oakland, Calif., in September 1921, the daughter of William J. Hayes and Edith (Carew) Hayes. While attending the University of California at Berkeley, she was an honor student active in the art honor society, Delta Epsilon, Prytanean, the Publications Council and was Women''s Director of the campus humor magazine, The Pelican. She graduated in 1943, Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, she served as Art Editor, later Editor-in-Chief, of The Oak Leaf, a publication of the U.S. Naval Supply Center in Oakland. In 1947, she married Harold Spencer. When Harold joined the faculty of Blackburn College in Illinois, she resided there until he became a member of the faculty at Occidental College in Los Angeles and they returned to California. In 1968, they moved to Ashford, Conn., as Harold had accepted a professorship at the University of Connecticut. A few years after he retired, they returned to California and resided in Paso Robles. In Connecticut, she was active in Connecticut Women Artists, Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts and Connecticut Watercolor Society. In Paso Robles, she was a member of the Paso Robles Art Association, San Luis Obispo Art Center and exhibited widely in juried, invitational and solo shows in the Midwest, New England and California. She had won several awards for her work and was included in such publications as Ex Libris Artists and Printmaking Techniques by Julia Ayres. An ardent conservationist, she served on the Ashford Conservation Commission and was a trustee of the Joshua''s Tract Conservation and Historical Trust while in Connecticut. She was also a member of several conservation organizations. Editha was a woman of sharp intelligence, flashing wit, was warm and compassionate in her relations with others, an exceptional mother, grandmother and wife, whose images and passion for life always affected the lives of those who knew her. She will be long and deeply mourned by family and friends. Editha is survived by her husband, Harold; brother, Thomas Hayes (Jackie) of Oakland; sister-in-law, Nina Hayes of Seattle, Wash.; four sons David of Storrs, Conn., Robert of Valencia, Calif., Eric of Mansfield Center, Conn., and Mark of Davis, Calif.; five daughters-in-law; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and eight nieces and nephews. A memorial exhibition and celebration of Editha''s life will be held this summer at Studios on the Park (date to be determined). Memorial donations may be sent to Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles, CA 93446, www.studiosonthepark.org. Sign her guestbook at www.kuehlnicolayfuneralhome.com
Published in San Luis Obispo Tribune on January 5, 2011.