Jeannette Opperman Mellinger unexpectedly passed away at her home in Durham, NC, on May 11.
She lived 70 years of learning, laughing, friendship, traveling, reading, writing, listening, mothering, loving, grieving, and playing.
Born in Chicago to an English teacher and civil engineer who loved her deeply, she grew up in Skokie, where the symphony, opera, art museums and science museums became an integral part of her life.
A former high school English and Journalism teacher, she began her career in the arts as President of the Emporia Arts Council. She became director of education at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts at Kansas University, where she developed artist residencies, programming, and arts-based education projects for the university, public schools, and community.
After moving to North Carolina, she began as the director of public affairs and community development for the American Dance Festival in Durham in 1997, and took a one-year appointment as general director of Festival Rodin in 1999, working for Capitol Broadcasting and the NC Museum of Art with Jim Goodmon and Larry Wheeler. In 2000, she joined the North Carolina Symphony, where she was Director of Communications until retiring in 2012. She was also a board member for the Mallarme Chamber Players in Durham.
Jeannette received a B.A. in English and Art History from KU, a secondary education certificate from Northwestern, and an M.A. in English from Duke.
She was supportive and caring as a mother, a thoughtful and generous friend, playful and adventurous as a wife, and teaching and silly as a grandmother. She quoted literature freely, and read the New York Times and the comics every day.
She is survived most immediately by her husband, Alan Schueler, with whom she made a tireless team of mutual love, and her children Amanda Glasgow and Sam Mellinger and stepson Mark Schueler, who will remember her forever and hope some of her great gift for living well gets passed to her five grandsons.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The Mallarme Chamber Players (http://mallarmemusic.org/donation/) or Kidznotes (http://www.kidznotes.org/support-us/), both important local arts programs.
A memorial service will be held in the Triangle in the near future.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
Alan:
I'm so sorry for your loss. I think I met Jeannette once, but I do remember you at work at IES. You and your family are in my prayers. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Wishing you peace.
Chel Douglass
May 30, 2017
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