Mary Elizabeth Mcclain

Mary Elizabeth Schmitt McClain
Betty McClain, a former Morgantown City Council member from 1991-2001, peacefully passed away on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN. Betty was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1925, she is the daughter of the late Stanley W. and Bertha Kenly Schmitt of Ridgewood, NJ. There, she began her formal art training at the tender age of 9 under Helen Gapen Oehler, a charter member of Audubon Artists in New York City. At 14, Betty switched teachers to begin portraiture and anatomy study with Ralph Entwhistle, a professional portrait painter. She exhibited regularly with the Ridgewood Art Association as a teenager. After she graduated from Pennsylvania State University, she became an assistant art director of Pacific Mills Corp., in New York City. In 1949, she married Richard R. McClain and moved to Pittsburgh were she continued her artistic studies with Samuel Rosenburg, internationally recognized painter and professor of art at Carnegie Tech, now CMU. Betty was among the first members of the Pittsburgh Plan for Art. A constant exhibitor in regional and invitational shows, she lectured and taught private art lessons. Betty maintained her studio for portrait painting and other artwork for over 60 years in Pittsburgh, PA, Warren, PA, and Morgantown, WV. She was a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and exhibited in juried professional exhibitions throughout the US. Her paintings, drawings, and lithographs are represented in the permanent collections of several regional museums. She had seven one-person invitation exhibitions over her career. In Morgantown, she served on the Beautification Commission and the Riverfront Taskforce before becoming Main Street Morgantown Project Manager from 1985 until 1990. In 1991, she was elected to Morgantown City Council where she served until 2001. She participated on the Morgantown Parking Authority and the Historic Landmarks Commission, which placed the entire downtown on the National Historic Register, for which she designed the bronze plaques. Betty was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, Morgantown Service League, and Monongalia Arts Center board. She is a member of St. Mary Roman Catholic Church where she served on parish council and as president of the Serra Club. Her husband, Richard R. McClain, a former Vice President of Baker & Coombs, preceded her in death in 1980. She is survived by four sons and spouses: Richard and Ann of Knoxville, TN, William and Galina, of Milford, CT, Robert and Nikki, of Falls Church, VA, and John and Alison, of Sharon, MA and two daughters and spouses: Dyan and Gene Huey, of Indianapolis, IN and Mary and Dave Neely of Morgantown, WV. Betty is also survived by 17 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren as well as a brother, Stanley W. Schmitt and Gerry of Charlotte, NC. Friends will be received at the Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home on Monday, April 17 from 4-7 PM; and at St Mary Roman Catholic Church in Star City, WV, on Tuesday, April 18, from 11 AM until the 1 PM. Mass of Christian Burial with the Rev. Fr. John V. Di Bacco as celebrant. Burial will follow the Mass at Beverly Hills Memorial Garden. Memorial donations may be made to: St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, 3334B University Ave, Morgantown, WV 26505. Please visit Betty’s website for additional information: http://www.squarespace.elizabethschmittmcclain.com

Monday, April 17, 2017 04:00 PM - 07:00 PM

Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home 10 S. High St. morgantown, wv 26501

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 11:00 AM - 01:00 PM

St. Mary Catholic Church 3344 University Ave star city, wv 26505

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 01:00 PM

St. Mary Catholic Church 3344 University Ave star city, wv 26505