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Juliana Patience von Kienbusch Little
Juliana Patience von Kienbusch Little, of Maine, formerly of Water Mill, died at Birchwoods at Canco in Portland, Maine, on Tuesday, January 17. She had just turned 86.
Ms. Little, “Patsy” to her friends, was born January 17, 1926, in New York City to Carl Otto von Kienbusch and Mildred Clarke Pressinger von Kienbusch. Her father was a businessman, philanthropist and collector. His world-renowned collection of arms and armor was bequeathed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Ms. Little attended the Brearley School, Chatham Hall and Bryn Mawr College, where she majored in English and was an editor of the literary journal, and once successfully solicited W.H. Auden for a poem. Her lifelong love of travel began with trips with her parents to the A Bar A ranch in Wyoming and the Patapedia River in Canada where she learned to fly-fish.
Ms. Little graduated from Bryn Mawr in 1947. She married John Watson Little II in 1948 and they had five children: Lucy, David, Liza, Carl and John.
In the 1960s Ms. Little worked as librarian and substitute teacher at the St. David’s School in New York City; among her favorite students was John Kennedy Jr., son of the late president. A passionate reader, she loved literature, whether it was the detective novels of Dick Francis or the poetry of Derek Walcott. She spread the joy of reading to her students and her children. For several years with the help of Geneva Davis, she ran a summer program for disadvantaged children at her home in Water Mill.
Ms. Little was a painter, specializing in still life, including lively arrangements of flowers picked from the gardens she planted in Water Mill. She especially loved the art of Odilon Redon, Henri Matisse and Vincent van Gogh. Her work was shown at Southampton College and the Blum Gallery at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. She passed on her love of art and poetry to her children.
Her marriage to Mr. Little ended in divorce in 1985. In 1989 Ms. Little moved to Somesville, Maine, drawn to the area by her brother, the abstract expressionist landscape painter William Kienbusch, who had a studio on Great Cranberry Island. She enjoyed life on Mount Desert Island. She loved to hike the trails and walk the carriage paths. These experiences, along with winters spent on Water Island, off of St. Thomas, were among her fondest memories.
In 2000, Ms. Little moved to an apartment on the Eastern Promenade in Portland. With her views of Casco Bay, her balcony garden and the vibrant community of Munjoy Hill nearby, her 10 years at Portland House were happy ones. She lived there until December 2010 when she broke her hip, at which point she moved to Birchwoods at Canco. She loved the staff and cherished the visits of her children and grandchildren. Her son, David, and daughter, Liza, lived nearby and were with her nearly every day.
Ms. Little is survived by her five children, Lucy Tucker of Hastings-on-Hudson, David Little of Maine, Liza Little of Maine, Carl Little of Maine and John Little of Seattle; grandchildren, Elizabeth and Annie Tucker, Sadie Secor, Erica and Caitlin Little, and Emily and James Little. Her first great-grandchild, Owen Arthur Sanderson, was born earlier in the month. She was predeceased by her siblings, William Kienbusch in 1980 and Millicent Clarke Kelley in 2011.
A private family service is planned for the spring.
Memorial donations may be made to the Hospice Fund at the Maine Community Foundation, 245 Main Street, Ellsworth, ME 04605.
on Jan 24, 2012