In March of 2012, Anne Jones’ sister died from a brain tumor. On May 8 of that year, her 86-year-old mother died, too. Jones did her best to move on, bolstered by the unwavering love and support from her husband, Chris, and the upcoming wedding of their son later that month. “Chris and I were childhood sweethearts, married 36 years, with five great kids,” the 54-year-old Crown Point woman said. The night before their son’s wedding, they went to bed excited about the big day. “I love you,” she told him before falling asleep. “I love you, too,” he told her. The next morning, Anne woke up. Chris didn’t. Their daughters found his body in the living room but, for a couple hours, figured he was simply sleeping. He would sometimes fall asleep there to not bother Anne with his sleep apnea issues. Anne soon realized that Chris was not waking up again. He was 54. “He looked so peaceful,” Anne told me, recalling the situation in vivid detail. While staring lovingly at her husband’s body – amid shock, grief and confusion – Anne also experienced a peaceful feeling, thinking to herself, “You’re in heaven now.” “It was all orchestrated by God,” she told me, chalking up his death to complications from sleep apnea. “Everything happens for a reason, I’m convinced of this.” Her children, loved ones and extended family were already around her that day, for her son’s wedding, which still took place. It’s what Chris would have wanted, they reasoned. “All love stories end in tragedy,” she said, reflecting on the bigger picture of life, love and romance. Some deaths, however, actually do end in tragedy, specifically sudden, brutal or unexpected ones, she has since learned. For those deaths – when the grim reaper snatches a loved one without warning or mercy – Anne had an idea to help the survivors. Anne, who’s been practicing artistic portraiture drawings for over 40 years, began creating chalk-rendered portraits of the deceased for grieving survivors, to help them cope with the bereavement process. She named the endeavor Face to Face Fine Art Commemorative Expressions, Inc. “Nobody wants to be forgotten,” Anne said. “This way, their loved ones can have their image in their home and in their hearts. It can help keep the happy memories alive.” A stay at home mother for 15 years, Anne always enjoyed drawing portraits, learning the craft, and experimenting with different mediums. Now she knew why. “It’s God’s grace that I pursued this idea,” she said. “We live in such a disposable society. This gives loved ones a permanent memory to have and to hold for generations to come.” Face to Face is now a nonprofit organization with a single-minded mission: To ease suffering in the grieving process by providing a lasting commemorative portrait that will honor and memorialize the deceased. Although still a new endeavor, its goal is to raise funds through tax-deductible donations and foundation grants. This way, survivors don’t have to pay for the portrait, custom created of their dead loved one. Anne has already created a dozen portraits, including one of 26-year-old Brandon Huseman, who was brutally stabbed to death in downtown Crown Point on Nov. 24, 2011. “This drawing does such an amazing job of capturing Brandon’s character,” wrote Huseman’s father, Kevin Huseman of Lowell, in a testimonial for the organization. “It is amazing that you were able to produce the level of likeness without ever knowing Brandon this side of Heaven. Renee and I see Brandon in this picture.” Anne works from photographs provided by the bereaved, who select the best photo to capture the likeness and spirit of each subject. Each portrait is chalk-drawn in soft pastels, framed under glass, and presented to each client. “I believe that God is giving me a little glimpse into the survivors’ grief while I’m drawing each portrait,” said Anne, who often prays and sometimes cries during the creative process. Surprisingly, Anne has already found the strength to draw portraits of her sister, mother and husband. “I had this idea before their deaths, but this has helped me get through the grieving,” she explains during public presentations to groups across Northwest Indiana. The organization has a board of directors, a mission statement and certain criteria for new clients – the deceased must have died suddenly, brutally or unexpectedly. “We seek to find families who have a need for help in the grieving process,” states the Face to Face website, at facetofacefineart.org. (Watch how a portrait is created at facetofacefineart.org/?page_id=703.) Some clients have accepted the free portrait but then make a donation to pay it forward for another grieving client. Others are profoundly thankful for the gift. Mary Ann Evans of Munster lost her two daughters on Sept. 11, 2009. Jennifer Evans, 28, and Kristen Evans Kennedy, 25, were viciously murdered that day in Griffith. A 35-year-old man later confessed to the killings and the burning of their home. Earlier this month, Anne created a portrait of the two women from a favorite photo of their mother. Anne presented it to Evans on Sept. 16 at the Lucrezia restaurant in Crown Point. “When a loved one becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure,” Evans told me afterward. “The portrait is extraordinary and now Jennifer and Kristen are home with me. I can look into their eyes and smile back. Their memory lives on.” To contact Anne Jones and Face to Face, call 688-6905, email at dalsb@aol, or visit FaceToFaceFineart.org.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 15:23:35 +0000
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