Genevieve ‘Jenny’ (Simont) Ireland

CORNWALL — Genevieve “Jenny” (Simont) Ireland, 94, of Cornwall and Salisbury, died peacefully Nov. 12, 2014, after a short stay at Noble Horizons.Jenny was born in Paris on Nov. 25, 1919, of Catalan parents. Under the influence of her father, Jose Simont Guillen, renowned illustrator and recipient of the French Legion of Honor, she studied art at Studio Bornet and Academie Julian in Paris. She exhibited at the age of 18 at Gallerie Charpentier, where one of her pictures was acquired by the Musee D’Auxerre.She painted her whole life, while living in Paris, New York, San Francisco and Barcelona, but never exhibited again with the exceptions of the Rose Algrant Show in Cornwall since its inception in 1960 and last fall at the Cornwall Library. Her still lifes and portraits are in many homes all over the world.Jenny spent her early years living for long periods in Paris, Barcelona and New York, which contributed to her speaking fluent French, Spanish, Catalan and English. Her proficiency in languages came in handy at age 50, when she began a 15-year career in management as a personal shopper for foreign dignitaries and others at New York retailers Lord & Taylor, Bonwit Teller, Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Georg Jensen. She retired in 1985 to a small house near the Mediterranean coast south of Barcelona, where she lived for the next 25 years before she came back to be with her family in northwest Connecticut.Jenny may be best remembered for her simple elegance, graciousness and good taste. Jenny is survived by her son, Sumner Ireland and his wife, Melissa; her two grandchildren, Ginette and Sara Ireland; her sister-in-law, Sara “Bee” Simont; and her nephew, Doc Simont and his wife, Lisa Lansing Simont. She was predeceased by her sister, Helen (Simont) Roig; and her brother, Cornwall artist Marc Simont, who would often state that no one in their artistic family had a better sense of color than Jenny.A celebration of her life will be held sometime next spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jenny’s name to the Little Guild of Saint Francis in memory of her love of cats.