Jeannie A. Serpa

Jeannie A. Serpa was the mother of nine, grandmother of nineteen, and great grandmother of one. While her family was her lifelong pride and joy, Jeannie was also a school teacher, professional artist, magazine columnist, book author, inventor, gardener, and business owner. The oldest of four children, Jeannie worked her way through college earning her degree at Rhode Island College of Education (now RIC). Ever productive, Jeannie left teaching and bore nine children in ten and a half years (no twins). An avid gardener, she taught her children to farm their own vegetables and founded the Narragansett Garden Club. She was the owner of The Mistletoe Christmas Shop and The Hamilton Art Studio in Wickford, RI. Her interests in the art world led to cross country teaching of her innovative new art techniques in decoupage, toll painting, stenciling and faux finishings for national art supply corporations.. She invented a proprietary paint glaze marketed by the Illinois Bronze Company. She authored six art design books and was a featured guest on the PBS program, “This Old House”. In December 2009, she published “Eating Your Way to LOW Cholesterol”, an autobiographical account of her battle overcoming extremely high cholesterol without the aid of prescription drugs. The book includes nutritional guidelines along with 225 recipes she created in her own kitchen. Jeannie continued her professional writing career with monthly columns in the South County Independent and Northeast Independent magazines. She also published lifestyle features for South County Living Magazine. Jeannie was the wife of the late Mathew J. Serpa. She was the daughter of the late Mary and Joseph Carroll and sister to the late Nancy Cole, Julie-Ann Carroll, and Robert Carroll. She is survived by her nine children: Steven Serpa, Mary Jane Gray, Christine Morrison, Mathew J. Serpa lll, Joanne Morrissey, Jack Serpa, Ann Marie Serpa, Thomas Serpa, and David Serpa. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Hope Hospice Rhode Island. https://www.hopehealthco.org/ways-to-give/donatenow/

Jeannie A. Serpa

April 30, 2021