Jeanne Bonneau Turner Ansley

Jeanne Bonneau Turner Ansley, 94, died peacefully on April 12, in Knoxville, Tennessee, with all her children at her bedside and the care of other friends and family close at hand. Her joyful generosity of spirit and acute appreciation for the beauty of the world were gifts she freely gave right to the end. Jeanne was born in Oxford, Georgia on April 4, 1918, youngest of seven children born to Edward Kimbrough Turner and Frances Lee Turner. Family meant much to Jeanne, and she was particularly proud of her parents. Her father was professor of Classics at Emory, and her mother was an accomplished artist whose painting of Bulloch Hall in Roswell, Georgia, was selected by Eleanor Roosevelt to hang in the White House. Jeanne was preceded in death by her amazing sisters and brothers: Pat, Lora, Duke, Herben, Bee, and Top. Raised in Atlanta, Jeanne was active in Camp Fire Girls, loved the out of doors, and when she became a young woman, enjoyed being in the social whirl. After attending Riverside California Junior College and Montevallo College, she graduated from Emory University. At Emory she met Bradford Dunham Ansley, Jr., and the couple married in 1941. They lived briefly in New York and Miami while Bradford pursued a career as newscaster and AP newswriter. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Bradford joined the Navy, where he served in the South Pacific. On his return, the couple moved to Atlanta where children Fran, Brad and Donald were born. Bradford edited the Emory alumni magazine and later became Director of Development. After he went into business in the mid-1960s, the couple lived in Columbus, Georgia; Siesta Key, Florida; New York City and Los Angeles before retiring to Happy Valley, Tennessee. Jeanne had an artistic eye and hand, making jewelry, stitchery, sculpture, and creating beautiful environments wherever she lived. She had a delicious sense of humor and a way of welcoming, understanding and encouraging all kinds of people who came within her orbit. Never stuck in her own demographic, she always approached people with a warm heart and open mind. She was actively involved in the Experiment in International Living and made some of her closest friends among young people she met through the Experiment from places all over the world. While in Florida, Jeanne served on the board of a Migrant Headstart program. While in Columbus, she joined the Human Relations Council. She led Camp Fire Girl groups, was active in the Episcopal Church, volunteered with museums, attended symphony concerts, packed innumerable picnics, and near the end of her life donated a substantial conservation easement to fulfill her and Bradfords dream of preserving for future generations the land they bought in Happy Valley near the Smokies. Bradford died in 1992, and Jeanne remained in Happy Valley. For over five years she has had all three of her children living close. She is survived by her children: daughter Fran Ansley and her husband Jim Sessions of Knoxville; son Brad Ansley and his wife Kathy Ansley of Happy Valley; son Donald Ansley and his wife Cindy McGinnis of Knoxville; by three grandchildren: Elisha Sessions with his wife Emmanuel Bassmann of London, England; Lee Sessions of Knoxville; and Channing Ansley of St. Louis; by two great-grandchildren: Louis Lee Sessions and Paul Turner Sessions of London; and by many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, step-grandchildren and dear friends. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on May 12, 2012 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Maryville, interment to follow in New Providence Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to: Alzheimers Association www.alz.org, Foothills Land Conservancy, www.foothillsland.org/donate.shtml or Experiment in International Living www.experimentinternational.org