Mother of fallen Soldier turns to art to heal, help

By Theresa O'HaganAugust 18, 2011

Calling Home
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- The loss of a child is a parent's worst nightmare.

Suzy Shealy experienced that loss when her first-born son, Sgt. Joseph Shealy, was killed in Iraq in 2005. As an artist, she turned to her craft to deal with her grief and help others in time of need. Shealy decided to turn some of the 600 digital photos that had belonged to her son into oil paintings. From the paintings, she prints gicleés to sell, with the proceeds going to charity.

Shealy said she does not want to profit from the sales of her Iraq series gicleés. Likewise, she agreed to create a large 3-by-4-foot painting for Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance for military troops, families, and wounded warriors when they return home.

She said the Operation Homefront painting is for the organization to use as it sees fit to raise funds and support for military members and their families.

The painting will be prominently displayed at the Patriot Day Concert at Hilton Field, Sept. 10. The concert is being organized by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Operation Homefront.

"Family was always so important to Joseph," Shealy said. "He had a special fondness for the Columbia Ronald McDonald House, which provides a place for families to stay while their loved ones are being treated in area medical facilities.

"Fisher House Foundation is for members of our Armed Forces, retirees, veterans and their families, providing shelter and support for families while a loved one is undergoing medical treatment in a military hospital. I have designated that 25 percent of the net proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House of Columbia and 25 percent of the net proceeds benefit Fisher House Foundation. Additional gicleé prints will be purchased and framed with the remaining proceeds."

In November 2008, Shealy presented former President George W. Bush with two of her Iraq Series gicleé prints, which will hang in the George W. Bush Presidential Library upon completion. There is also one of her gicleé prints hanging in the entryway of the Department of Family Medicine of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

She was commissioned to paint a portrait of Spc. Thomas D Caughman by the 81st Army Reserve, which hangs in the lobby of the facility here. Shealy was honored to present Gen. George Casey with a set of her Iraq Series gicleé prints.

Shealy has been painting since 2006. She has received both studio and private instruction.

Shealy is not sure which, or how many, of the photos her son took. She does know that they were all meaningful to him.

"He told me that he could not wait to show me all of the pictures when he was home on leave, so I know that each image was significant to him in some way," she said. "The images I've selected thus far speak to me of the sacrifices made by the men and women in the Armed Forces. Images like the lone Soldier in a stark environment cradling the cell phone " his lifeline to loved ones at home; the Soldier mourning the loss of a dear friend who must then put on his gear and return to the field."

On Shealy's website, www.suzyshealy.com, paintings like "Calling Home," and "No Greater Love" can be viewed and purchased.

The Soldier in "Calling Home," was very important to Joseph, she said.

"The Soldier is Spc. Chris Woo, a dear friend of my son. I have heard from many people that Joseph and Woo were always together. I emailed him and then spoke with him about painting the piece, as I did with Del Plato, the Soldier in 'No Greater Love.' I had gicleé prints on canvas made the same size as the original, framed them and sent one to each of them," Shealy said.

In the spring of 2006, Shealy, her daughter and son had the chance to meet all the Soldiers who served with her son.

"When Joseph's unit, the 411th MP Company returned, my son William, daughter Elizabeth, and I went to Fort Hood to greet them," she recalled. "We were allowed to speak with each individual and hug them in a private area at the airport before they went to the celebration with their families. Joseph was always concerned about the welfare of the Soldiers underneath him and the unit as a whole, and it was important to us that they know we appreciate them and the love they had for Joseph, that we understood they were an important part of Joseph's life also."

Although the Iraq series is a huge part of Shealy's work, she also does paintings of animals, people and florals. Among her favorites to paint are people and animals.

"I love to paint people and animals, trying to capture emotion, personality, etc.," she

said.

Shealy said she sees her work and the response to it as a blessing from God.

"It has been a source of healing for me. Quite frankly, I feel that God has given me this gift and I am amazed and very appreciative," she said.

Her work gives her purpose and helps her feel connected to Joseph.

"It has given me a mission, a purpose, to encourage the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces and their families and to try and raise monies for Fisher House Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia, both of which assist families in their time of great need."

For more information on the concert or Operation Homefront, call (803) 608-2242

or (803) 960-2501.