Barbara Rensenhouse

Passed away peacefully on Saturday Oct.19, 2019 in Hastings, MI. She was born the third daughter of Roxie Anna (Miller) and Raymond Rensenhouse on Nov 21, 1928 in Three Rivers, MI. She was predeceased by her sister Frances, her parents, her sister Dorothy Rensenhouse Barnett and her brother-in-law John Barnett of Hastings. She is survived by her nieces Barbra Scott and Nancy Kinney (Michael) in Hastings, Mary Barnett (Betsy Neisner) in Leverett, MA and nephew David Barnett (Tracy) in Holland, MI. Extended family includes John and Alice Kinney, Melaina and Charles Neisner, Tamara Rasmussen, Cameron Schuster, Faith Barnett, Nancy Nixon and John Rensenhouse. Though impacted by growing up during the Depression, WWII and hardships that the ill health of her father presented, BR lived a happy childhood in Three Rivers. She remembered helping with scrap drives and collecting metal, rubber, newspapers, rags and even kitchen grease for the war effort. Perhaps this early indoctrination laid the foundation for her being so resourceful, having a penchant for saving almost everything in the name of creating art and becoming an avowed "pack rat". BR loved riding her bike, playing softball and basketball and later learning tennis at camp. She became quite a proficient tennis player in college and later happily provided her young nieces with used racquets, cans of slightly dead balls, tips on technique and encouragement to practice! BR graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1947. She enjoyed reading literature, creating scrapbooks, sketching, writing journals, singing in Glee Club and performing in class plays. She much preferred working after school and summers at the town library and later in bookstores and the WMU library to the more unsavory jobs that her older sister Dorothy found to work her way through college- washing dishes and serving at the Walgreen's lunch counter. BR attended Western Michigan University, earning a BS in 1951, and went on to teach art in Midland MI, Portage public schools and the WMU Campus Elementary and High School. Along with taking classes at University of Colorado, University of Michigan and Ashridge College near London, she returned to WMU, earning her master's degree in 1958. In 1959, BR began her 32-year career as Associate Professor of Art at WMU, retiring in 1991. BR wrote and published her own vast tome of a textbook she used for her classes. She was nominated to receive the teaching excellence award of the year in '91 and was described as truly embodying the characteristics that define a distinguished teacher. BR often expressed how fortunate she felt to be able to do the work that she loved, and enjoyed great satisfaction in developing ideas and methods to demonstrate new media. She was an avid photographer of abstract design, patterns and colorful reflections, as well as photo-documenting many events, travels, friends and family milestones. She was an active member of the Upjohn Color Camera Club for many years, often creating the center pieces and decorations for awards banquets. BR loved being surrounded by her vast collection of art created by friends, former students, associates and some well known artists. She took every opportunity to visit art museums, so would venture off with friends on many Kalamazoo Institute of Art bus tours, as well as attending countless NAEA conventions around the country even after retirement, always returning with bags of brochures and samples of new art supplies. Her station wagon was always full of art supplies, bags and boxes of projects, and sported a bumper sticker proudly proclaiming ART IS BASIC. Perhaps BR is best known for the many years of staying in touch, the old school way. She created elegantly silkscreened, hand-colored and embellished art cards and bookmarks in her TR home studio. These elaborately themed gems celebrated seasons and holidays and were mailed with specially selected postage stamps to nearly 200 friends for over 65 years. In more recent years, BR enlisted Kinkos for printing and the assistance of her niece Nan to bring back vintage designs from her collection to keep this tradition alive. In return, friends and family sent her postcards from their world travels, which she collected and reported on in her in enclosed news memos, along with personal messages. The most prolific postcard senders would be awarded a prize packet of stamps. Her originals from this vast collection are now preserved at the WMU Archives. BR remained in touch with childhood and college friends as well as colleagues and former students who inevitably became friends. These friendships were vital and valuable to her. She enjoyed frequent lunches and "Birthday Club" with her local friends and loved traveling to visit those far-flung friends on a regular basis for many years. BR has been described and will be remembered by family and friends as "the tall, lean lady with the floppy blue hat," "lively and imaginative," "has integrity and will share knowledge with you," "a mentor who took me under her wing," "generosity of spirit," "a grand and real teacher," "kind," "affable," "a good listener," "very positive in all kinds of weather," "a gracious friend," "resourceful," and "100% trustworthy." All agreed that she was a great person with a fun sense of humor and that she will be sorely missed in all of our lives. A celebration of her life will be held on Sunday November 3, 2019 at 1:30 pm First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo 212 S. Park Street, Kalamazoo In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Rensenhouse Travel Fund for Art Education. Western Michigan University