Jackie Eckhous: Her Love for the Arts Lives On

Jackie Eckhous was a beloved friend and devoted volunteer and supporter of the DIA for over 49 years. She belonged to seven different museum auxiliaries, reflecting her wide-ranging interests in all types of art, from European, to modern and contemporary, to African, African American and American art. As a volunteer Jackie worked in the museum shop and served as a docent and at the gallery information desks. She maintained her DIA membership even when she was no longer able to visit us in person. We looked forward each year to her annual gift which would be divided into so many multiple parts, reflecting her steadfast support for the museum's work across the board.

We lost Jackie in 2017. At her funeral everyone who spoke about her—her children and grandchildren—mentioned her love for the museum and the large role it played in her life. She shared with them, and instilled in them, her great love of the arts and the DIA.

In her estate, Jackie left a generous cash bequest to the museum from her charitable remainder unitrust, as well as her Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph, "Jane Avril" (1893).

The next year, the museum held our annual Volunteer Council Annual Meeting and Luncheon. As we always do, we highlighted valued volunteers, including Jackie, who had recently passed away. Jackie's children Lauren and Jeremy were invited and traveled great distances to attend. We enormously enjoyed meeting them and sharing with them the museum that meant so much to their mother.

Contact Rosemarie Gleeson at (313) 494-5233 or rgleeson@dia.org to learn more about how to create your DIA legacy and support the museum's future.