Florence Rodman

Florence Fox Rodman, of Bristol, RI, passed away on November 27, 2020, at the age of 96. Florence (Florry and sometimes Flo to family and friends) was born in Newtonville, Massachusetts. Florry was the loving wife of Seymour Rodman, devoted sister of Joseph and Frederick Fox, and beloved aunt of Alan Fox and Susan Fox Stern. She is survived by daughter Hillary Rodman, nephew Donald Fox and niece Beverly Peterson, great-nephews Gregory and Nathan Fox, and great-niece Lauren Greer.

As a child, it was the life of the ocean that first inspired Florry to become an artist. Everything about the sea excited and enthralled her, especially seashells with their exquisite and fascinating shapes. Her formal art education began as a young girl with lessons at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. After earning an associate’s degree at Green Mountain College, she moved to New York City, which became her second home. There she met Seymour (Sy), also an artist, whom she married in 1948 and lived with in loving partnership until his death in 1972. Florry earned a second degree at Cooper Union and ultimately returned to school to earn her BFA from the School of Visual Arts at the age of 61. Florry’s main media were oil and watercolor on canvas, although, like her own mother, she also experimented with sculpture.

In New York, Florry went on forays to the Shell Club and the Museum of Natural History, while she ran her own retouching business and did projects for the New York Art Club and Metropolitan Museum, among other commercial interests. She worked extensively in textiles, creating designs for fabric trimmings, children’s clothing, and curtain materials using motifs recalling the patterns of sea life. A fashionista until the very end, Florry also worked in retail at the historic stores Bonwit Teller and Bergdorf Goodman. Florry moved to Providence, RI, in 1989, where she worked at the RISD Museum Shop and made many new and good friends before ultimately retiring to Bristol.

Florry found additional artistic inspiration in vacations to Sanibel Island and the shores of Cape Cod, Gloucester and RI, as well as in the nature and science programs and books that she avidly consumed throughout her life. Providence and Bristol provided opportunities to meet like-minded people and exhibit her paintings through organizations such as the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative. Florry was committed to progressive causes from a young age, particularly regarding the rights of women and persons of color, and was a longtime volunteer with the Democratic Party in New York. She was also devoted to conservation, particularly for wolf populations. Florry’s life was enriched by a number of special cat companions and by her passion for food (a great steak), a good party, and a good scotch (especially a glass of Cutty Sark, for which her last and most beloved cat was named).

The family thanks the many residents of Bristol and friends of Florry who supported and loved her, and the very caring and fine staff of Silver Creek Manor who did the same in her final years.

Florence will be interred at Newton Cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts, following a private funeral.