Patrycia Ann (London) Herndon
https://www.garnandfuneralhomes.com/memorials/Herndon-Patrycia/5208529/
June 1st, 1939 - June 6th, 2023
Patrycia Ann (London) Herndon, 84, died Tuesday June 6, 2023 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. She was born on June 1, 1939 in Bailey, Texas, the daughter of Rodney Baxter and Sedera (Morgan) London.
Patrycia's attended primary school in Bailey and went on to attend Foster Junior High, and Longview High School. Patrycia artistic skill began at an early age, she often made paper dolls with her grandmother and regularly made outfits for her little rat terrier dog. Even at a young age she had a passion for nature and especially horses. She could occasionally be convinced to tell the story of being so bored at a basketball game she snuck out with a cup of water and drew horses in the dirt on the side of the school bus. When it was discovered, she was missing it was pretty clear where she was and what she was doing.
While Patrycia was still in High School, Patrycia was commissioned to paint a mural for the baptistry in the Marbley Avenue Baptist Church in Longview, Texas. Her reputation grew and she continued to hone her skills and went on to attend Texas Women’s University, majoring in Costume Design, Fashion Illustration and Art Education. While attending TWU, she met her future husband Walter Owen Herndon. Walter Owen was attending LeTourneau Tech, and was running for Student Council President and she was set up on a blind-date to ride with him in the parade. As the story goes, he was so impressed with her, he asked her out the very next year.
The relationship soon after became official and they were married following Patrycia’s junior year. It was then they first moved back to Kansas, for a few months they lived in the rent house behind the Winegar Home. Patrycia and Walter Owen did return to Denton where Patrycia finished her degree at TWU and Walter Owen worked as a disc sharpener for farmers in the area. After graduation the couple moved to Kansas permanently, and took up residence in Amy, Kansas. It was in Amy, Patrycia was finally able to have her horses. She favored Arabians, she had several: Tumbleweed, Adarae, Valada, Muskada, Ingaborg, Kioola and El Kazara. Patrycia was a member of the local saddle club.
Moving onto the Great Plains was not without its challenges, but Patrycia took inspiration from the majestic thunderheads, the gently rolling plains, from all forms of nature and from the heritage and history that existed throughout the region. As a little girl she had read about the famous “fish within a fish” at the Sternberg Museum, and was awestruck that it was unearthed only a few miles away in Gove County.
Patrycia continued her education, receiving a teaching certificate at Fort Hays State University and did her student teaching in Great Bend, Kansas. Patrycia occasionally taught as a substitute teacher, covering for a maternity leave on one occasion. Patrycia soon began offering private art lessons and it was there she found her forte. She was blessed to have become friends with the Heffner Family in Gove County and drew considerable inspiration from the Heffner’s “Wagon’s Ho” destination adventure. Her reputation grew across the region and it wasn’t long before she was being commissioned to paint rustic farm scenes to grace the mantles of many area farms and ranches.
In a few years Walter and Patrycia started a family. They had a son, Joel Steven in 1967 and daughter Kendra Alana in 1971. A year later the family moved to the farmstead at 167 N. Cheyenne. During these years she became a founding member of the Lane County Historical Society and of the Lane County Art’s Council. The children’s education began in the small rural Amy School, but in a few years the county consolidated and the children went to Dighton Grade School. Having to make two trips to town every day, Patrycia elected to stay in town and paint until time to pick up the kids.
It was then she managed to acquire Fred Hymes Real Estate office and turned it in to her “Bonnet String Studio.” It was here her talent really took off, becoming a founding member of the Women Artist of the American West (serving two terms as president) and of various watercolor societies.
In a few years she had outgrown the little studio and was blessed to be offered the old First National Bank building at the corner of Lane and Long Streets. She fell in love with the building the first time she saw it. Using her own capitol, she managed to acquire the building in 1981. There was a year or two of transition but as soon as it was feasible, she moved her studio and gallery into the historic building.
Almost immediately she began working on restoring the building to its historic magnificence. She managed to acquire a local teller’s cage and over the next few years restored the tin ceiling, light fixtures and other furnishings. She built stained-glass transoms for every window on both floors of the building. She even managed to return the original safe, from its current home in the Bonnet String Studio back to its former home in the First National Bank Building. She was honored to be allowed to participate in the 100th anniversary of the First National Bank celebration.
All the while she continued to teach students and many local students were blessed to be encouraged by Patrycia’s tutelage. Some have gone on to secure degrees in art and several work professionally. Every success her former students achieved was of great pride to her and served to further inspire her own work.
Patrycia’s teaching and fine art received another boost when Walter Owen and Patrycia moved into town, purchasing the Kalo and Geneva Hineman home at 145 South Second. The sun porch on the north side became another source of inspiration for her creativity. During this time Patrycia won several prestigious awards in the “Art is Ageless” competition and was the featured artist at Botanica four different times.
Patrycia was blessed to have received two separate grants from the Heritage Trust Fund which allowed her to achieve her goal of finishing the work on the Old Bank Gallery and in time acquired the rest of the wrap-around building, which became the workspace for so many projects.
One of Patrycia’s crowning achievements was to become a founding member of the “Painted Ladies.” Named for a species of butterfly, this was a group of like-minded women artists from the region who would get together once a month and spend the day emersed in their various art projects. They often would exhibit together at the 2nd Avenue Art Guild and at the Manor of the Plains in Dodge City, Kansas.
Patrycia’s husband Walter Owen passed in 2010, but it didn’t slow her down any. She took over bookkeeping for the farm and even drove a truck during milo harvest. She was constantly reinventing herself.
When the pandemic came it was difficult for Patrycia to postpone her lessons, but it was of great joy she was able to start them up again when the crisis passed. Students Evie, Olive, Harper and Evey brought immense joy to Patrycia. She worked with other students and colleagues, during this time: Shelly Selfridge, Jenny Linden-Tracz and Julia Pate to name three. All loved Patrycia with all their hearts.
Patrycia continued to teach until the end of the semester, shortly before her passing.
Patrycia’s final scheduled show will be the first week of August at the 2nd Avenue Art Guild in Dodge City, Kansas.
Patrycia’s radiance touched everyone she knew. Thousands were influenced and affected by her grace. We should all be so lucky.
Survivors include her son Joel S. Herndon of Dighton, Kansas; daughter Kendra Alana Herndon and husband Nic of Greenville, North Carolina; brother Joe London of Henrico, Virginia; sister Jane Mullins of Dallas, Texas; and sister-in-law Corinne Herndon of Dighton, Kansas.
A Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday June 16, 2023 at the United Methodist Church of Dighton with Reverend A. G. Turner officiating.
The family suggests memorial contributions to be given to the Patrycia Ann Herndon Memorial Fund in care of Boomower Funeral Home. Fifty percent of the fund will go to the ongoing restoration of the building, thirty percent toward a scholarship for a future student pursuing art, and 2wenty percent toward art supplies for future students at the Old Bank Gallery.
Condolences may be posted by visiting www.garnadfuneralhomes.com.