Lucie “Jeannot” Seymour
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**A reception honoring the life of Lucie “Jeannot” Seymour will be held on Saturday, November 7th, 2015 from 3 pm to 5 pm at the Brandon Woods Smith Center, 4730 Brandon Woods Terrace, Lawrence.**
Lucie Jeanne “Jeannot” Barnes Seymour, 84, Lawrence, Kansas, passed away on August 1, 2015 at Brandon Woods. An opportunity for friends and family to remember and celebrate her is being planned for Saturday, 7 November 2015, at the Smith Center.
Jeannot was born on 7 August 1930 in Pierrefonds, France, where her father, Russell C. Barnes, a correspondent for Detroit News and her mother, Ruth Constance Ingalls Barnes, an Atchison native, were living.
She graduated from Birmingham (Michigan) High School and attended Western College for Women in Miami, Ohio. She later transferred to Monticello College in Alton, Illinois, to study sculpture under Hillis Arnold.
Jeannot worked professionally as a graphic designer for almost 40 years. While working in Kansas City, first as a greeting card artist for Hallmark and later for an international engineering firm, she met Todd Seymour. They were married on February 9, 1957 and their daughter, Ann Ingalls “Bunny” Seymour, was born in Lawrence in September 1958.
She returned to KU to study sculpture under Elden Tefft and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in 1964 while working at the KU Bookstore.
She was Art Director with the Office of University Relations and its predecessors from 1967 to 1997. During her tenure with the University she designed a number of award-winning publications and was asked to do the artwork for the Chancellor’s Christmas cards. Jeannot was also a two time runner up for Employee of the Year at KU.
In the early 1960’s she worked with members of the Lawrence Arts Guild to establish the first Art in the Park.
A prolific designer, she illustrated several books on Lawrence and KU. She also supported the conversion of the Carnegie Library into the Lawrence Arts Center, actively participated in activities with the Meadowlark 4-H Club, volunteered at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, served in the organization behind Trinity Episcopal Church’s annual Ploughman’s Lunch and designed and produced hand-crafted gifts for Trinity Treasures.
Jeannot was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Friends in Council, PEO and the University Women’s Club.
She is survived by her husband, Todd, Lawrence; her daughter, Bunny Seymour (Tom Bierlaagh) and grandson Pieter Bierlaagh of Bethesda, Maryland and Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and her brother, John James Ingalls “Jamie” Barnes, of California.
Dear Todd: My thoughts and condolences are with you and your family at this difficult time. George Catt
Dear Todd and Family,
I was so sorry to hear of Jeannot’s passing. She was a wonderful lady and had a great sense of humor. Nancy and I loved working with Jeannot. Strange thing, I was just thinking about Jeannot last week and wondering why I hadn’t heard from her. No doubt in my mind she is in a place where she is having fun and getting into some sort of mischief. She will be greatly missed. My thoughts are with you and your family, Sincerely, Pat Hohman, Diabetes Education, Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
Dear Ann, I am thinking of you during this sad time of your mom’s passing. She lives on in you and all the memories you have of her. With love, Sheryl
Dear Bunny and Todd and family,
I was saddened to learn of Jeannot’s passing. She was a mentor and friend to me. I truly enjoyed working with her, and I learned a great deal from her.
My sincere condolences,
Jane Hoskinson
Hello — I just happened to think of Jeannot today and googled her name — I had no idea she had passed and I will always have fond memories of her. I served as the Secretary in University Relations for a few years and always think of Jeannot and the URC building with the red roof top! Jeannot traveled to be with me at the baby shower for my oldest son Chris and she was always such a delight. I loved her design work and creativity — just a true blessing. I loved going up to see her in her cubby space in the old URC building — she had a small window overlooking the view of the Kansas Union. And, she would always bring me Todd Seymour brownies. My thoughts are with your family. Please know that she had a wonderfully profound impact on my life and she will always have a special place in my heart. God bless your family!
I, too, was a student employee of University Relations and, although I didn’t work upstairs with the artsy folks, I always admired Jeannot and her work. Truly a life well lived to be so fondly remembered by so many. Cheers to that, Todd, Bunny and family.