Jeannette King Chaney |
Decatur
Jeannette King Chaney departed this earth on Monday, March 19, 2012. Funeral mass will be celebrated Friday, March 23 at seven p.m. at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church, Spring Avenue, Decatur. Visitation with the family will begin one hour prior to the service at the church.
Jeannette will be remembered as a major driving force in the performing arts across North Alabama. In the early 1970's, she started the Gingerbread Players children's theater in Florence. Upon moving to Decatur, she was asked by members of the Junior League to organize a children's theater workshop event. The resulting success of that endeavor became Dreamweaver's Children Theater. Over the years, Jeanette won acclaim and admiration from generations of theater participants, actors and audiences alike. As a director, she set hundreds of children and teenagers on a path to becoming actors in love with the stage. She was an excellent teacher. But for audiences, she will be ever remembered as a passionately perfect performer of the first order. To quote a fellow thespian who worked with her for decades, "She was given a gift by God, but she rewrapped it and gave it back to us over and over." She acted and directed for every community theater group in Decatur, Huntsville and Athens.
Her signature role was Annie Sullivan, teacher and lifeline to Helen Keller, in The Miracle Worker. She played the role many times at the annual Ivy Green production in Tuscumbia, as well as on stages in Decatur and Athens and directed it on stages across the state.
Jeannette won Wings awards in Huntsville for four of her performances.
Her last turn on stage was at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center, March 2011, as Amanda in Glass Menagerie for Bank Street Players in celebration of Tennessee Williams centennial.
In addition to her civic involvement, she taught English and drama at Holly Pond High School in Cullman County. She was honored as teacher of the Year in 2011.
Grieving survivors include daughter, Samantha Marie Chaney, Atlanta; sons, Paul Anderson Chaney (Sherry), Falkville and Benjamin David Chaney (Katie), Priceville; husband, Cecil; sisters, Margie King Dorantes (Rodrigo), Bentonville, Arkansas and Mary Jane King, Atlanta; brothers, Johnny King (Okcha) and James King, Huntsville; parents, Jeanne and James King, Huntsville; three grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by a brother, Thomas King.
"May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."