February 8 2020
Graveside Services for Ella Elizabeth James will be held at 2:00 pm Friday February 14, 2020, in the Henderson-James Hill Cemetery near Boyce, LA. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 pm Thursday evening at John Kramer & Son Funeral Home. Ella Elizabeth James, age 90, died Saturday February 8th, 2020 at home, Cordelia Place. Her parents were Dewitt J. James Sr. and Susan Culley James of Boyce, LA. Ella was born and raised in Boyce, living in her family home and descended from pioneer families from Rapides Parish. She was born at Home Place on Henderson-James Hill near Boyce. Ella Elizabeth James earned two degrees from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and studied art at LSU, Tulane and Louisiana College. Ella served on the Board of Directors and served as the House Artists Association President for River Oaks Square Arts Center, Alexandria Museum of Art- Board of Directors, and a member of the Contemporary Artists Guild. Ella was an accomplished local artist whose work is in the permanent collections of the Alexandria Museum of Art, Louisiana College Art Department, Corporate and Private Collections in Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, Missouri and California and was featured in the American Women Artists exhibition at Alexandria Museum of Art . She was a member and regent of the Bayou Coteille Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Ella will always be remembered for her love of family and the opening her home to all family celebrations. She had a special gift for writing beautiful thank you letters and if you have ever received one, you know. Ella enjoyed a long and productive career as an educator, art teacher, and principal of the Louisiana State Special Education School. She concentrated her interest in painting at the River Oaks Art Center during retirement and successfully had six one person shows. Ella was well known in the Central Louisiana area for her work in historic preservation and spent her retirement years placing two historic homes in Boyce, Blanchard House (also known as Cordelia Place), Carnahan House and two churches, Boyce Methodist Church and Episcopal Church of Boyce on the National Register of Historic Places Ella is survived by her son: Matthew Joseph (Keppy) Keppinger, III of Boyce, Louisiana and daughter Katherine (Katy) Arbour and her husband Michael of Dallas, Texas. Her six grandchildren are Jessica Keppinger Kisling and Allison Keppinger Baker of Baton Rouge, LA, Caitlyn and Houston Keppinger of Boyce, LA, Katherine, and Caroline Arbour of Dallas, TX and her great grandson Sawyer Winters Reed of Huntsville, AL. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters Margaret Sue White of Moss Bluff, LA and Dixie James Willis of Boyce, LA, four brothers Dewitt J. James Jr. , William Fielding James and Grundy Elmer James of Boyce, LA, and MacCauley Mercer (Mac) James of Natchitoches, LA and son Lawson Calvert Keppinger of Boyce, LA and granddaughter Sydney Rebecca Arbour of Dallas, TX. Pallbearers are: Colt James, Bart Jones, Houston Keppinger, Mike Arbour, David James and Aaron Kisling. Honorary pallbearer are James G. Willis and John Baker. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Henderson-James Hill Cemetery 2830 Marye St., Alexandria, LA 71301 or River Oaks Art Center, 1330 2nd St., Alexandria, LA 71301 To extend online notes of condolence to the family, please visit www.KramerFunerals.com. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Ella Elizabeth James please visit our Sympathy Store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ella Elizabeth James February 8 2020.
Death notice for the town of: Marksville, state: Louisiana