Award-winning artist and teacher Ginette Marie-Jose Lillo died Oct. 7 while in hospice care in Fort Lauderdale. She was 91.
A longtime instructor at Mary Collins Community Center in Miami Lakes, she also gave private lessons at her home in the Lake Patricia neighborhood.
Lillo influenced generations of aspiring artists in town.
After her family, her favorite things included a daily rum punch cocktail, gardening, orchids and Chinese food.
“She was a humble artist who was a sweet, sweet lady,” her son Charles Lillo III said. “She never had a disparaging word about anyone. She’d just rather go through life happy.”
Lillo’s online obituary is filled with photographs of her with relatives and friends.
Born in Martinique, Lillo was one of 13 children that included her late twin, Charlie.
After attending high school in Martinique, she graduated from an art school in Paris.
Married to Charles Gabriel Lillo II, they had three children: Catherine Capozzi, Charles Lillo III and Dr. Jacqueline Brill who all reside in Florida. Seven grandchildren also survive her, her son said.
The couple later divorced.
Lillo worked in oils, watercolors and pastels and was inspired by the people and landscapes of the Caribbean, her son said. She also made sculptures, mostly of the human figure.
“There wasn’t a medium that she didn’t master,” Lillo said. “My personal favorite is her knife work and more the impressionistic stuff.”
The Town of Miami Lakes named Lillo a Woman of Distinction and in 2017, a Senior Golden Hero for her contributions to the town’s culture.