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Jeanne Faith Coryell, 89, artist

Jeanne Faith Coryell, 89, of Philadelphia, a freelance artist, died Friday, March 28, of an infection at Symphony Square, an assisted-living facility in Bala Cynwyd.

A watercolor of a mandala by Jeanne F. Coryell, once exhibited in a show sponsored by the Plastic Club.
A watercolor of a mandala by Jeanne F. Coryell, once exhibited in a show sponsored by the Plastic Club.Read more

Jeanne Faith Coryell, 89, of Philadelphia, a freelance artist, died Friday, March 28, of an infection at Symphony Square, an assisted-living facility in Bala Cynwyd.

A well-known figure in the Philadelphia art community, Ms. Coryell was a longtime member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, the Plastic Club, and Philadelphia/Tri State Artists Equity.

She was a frequent participant in juried exhibitions at the Sketch Club, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show. She helped to organize the fine art show, an outdoor exhibition of work from across the country.

Born in Colwyn, Ms. Coryell was a 1975 graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She worked as a freelance artist in various media and styles, mostly abstract. She also studied chemistry, which was reflected in her artwork, particularly in her renditions of mandalas, the symbol of the universe in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Those who knew Ms. Coryell described her as feisty but reserved, serious but witty, brilliant yet humble, and always interested in others. Despite that, she lived and traveled alone.

She loved animals, especially her cat, Mercedes, and was kind to vulnerable people.

"Few knew of her enormous generosity to many agencies that support humane treatment of animals and people in difficult circumstances," said Kathryn Mariani, the elder-care coordinator assigned to Ms. Coryell by her guardian, lawyer Keelin S. Barry.

Surviving are two second cousins and many friends whom she considered family.

A life celebration will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at Symphony Square, 35 Old Lancaster Rd., Bala Cynwyd. Her artwork will be on display. Interment is in Florence, Italy, to which she often traveled.

Donations may be made to Women's Humane Society, 3839 Richlieu Rd., Bensalem, Pa. 19020, an animal shelter.