Elnora West

View Funeral WebcastMrs. Mattie Elnora Woodard West, 88, local artist, died Thursday, July 18, 2013 at her residence on West Seventh Street. Funeral services will be conducted Monday at 12:00 noon at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Jeremy Butt, John Vaughan, and Randy Owens officiating. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Monday after 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Condolences may be offered online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Born in Giles County, she was the daughter of the late John Henry Woodard and Susie Hendrix Woodard and the granddaughter of the late Martha Tennessee Elizabeth Story Hendrix. She was a descendant of the family of John Marshall, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mrs. West received an early education in Giles County graduating from Giles County High School. After receiving an Art Certificate from Washington Fine Art School, Mrs. West painted photographic portraits for the Roberts Studios while living in Pulaski. After her marriage to Lloyd A. West, they lived with her family in a spacious historic house which was the basis of her lifelong love of old houses and their histories. After moving to Columbia, she continued painting photographic portraits for the L. A. West Studios. She also did figure studies in pen and ink. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the West family lived in what was then a 60-acre estate Blythewood. During this time she opened her home for the APTA Majestic Middle Tennessee tours with greeters wearing colorful antebellum costumes. The newly organized Arts Guild, of which Mrs. West was a charter member, held an arts festival on the front lawn at Blythewood featuring many well-known artists and attracting visitors from across the state. The Blythewood estate was a haven for her sketches. Mrs. West had a one-artist show at the beautiful Art Center on historic West Seventh Street and designed the overlays for invitations for their grand opening celebration. In 1985, she and her husband bought the historic Church house where she had visited her friend, the late Betty Sweeney. Mrs. West restored the 14 foot high ceiling frescos, which were painted more than 130 years before, using soft pastels to keep the look that only time can give. She also painted several wall murals on the old plaster walls. Mrs. West was a member of The Maury County Chapter, APTA; James Sparkman Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy; James K. Polk Memorial Association; and Jane Knox Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution. She was a member of West Seventh Street Church of Christ and the Jim Putman Auditorium Sunday School Class. Survivors include daughters, Sherry Cloud of Nashville and Lisa West of Palm Springs, California; grandsons, Jay Christopher (Kathy) Cloud of Nashville and John Ashley Cloud (Christian Wurst) of New York City, New York; two great granddaughters, Emma Cloud and Avery Cloud; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd A. West and beloved son, Nicky, four sisters, and five brothers. Active pallbearers will be Mike Rodgers, Phillip Rodgers, Mike Parker, Rita Parker, Tony Long, Barry Long, Virgil Woodard, Wayne Woodard, Scott Woodard, Dr. Mark Woodard, David West, and Dr. Maylon West. Honorary pallbearers include John & Jeanelle Dale, James & Glorydell Jackson, Hollis & Betty Taylor, Jonnie & Deborah Davis, Adam & Annette Thomas, J. B. & Emily Long, Jim Poling, Gary Sims, Bob Sweeney, Garry Watters, Dennis Turner, David & Mary Neil Wise, Virginia Alexander, Gary & Chelsea Hall, Dr. John Simmons, Dr. Robert McClure, Dr. John Pettit, Dr. Glenn Douglas, and Elders and Deacons of West Seventh Street Church of Christ.