Renee Earley
November 08, 1959 - February 13, 2025
Obituary
Renée Roeder Earley
November 8, 1959 - February 13, 2025
Renée was a painter and fiber artist from Appleton, WI. She studied painting at Viterbo University in LaCrosse, WI and at the New York Studio School in NYC.
Renée traveled widely and lived abroad before relocating to Madison in 1990 where she became a staple of the art fair scene in the Midwest. She was well known for her beautiful hand sewn hats made under the label Hats O Fancy.
An active participant in the local arts community, Renée was also known for her costume designs for the UW Madison Dance Department, Cycropia Dance and the Children’s Theater of Madison, as well as her work for the Madison Children’s Museum where she has collaborated on projects for over 25 years. She was involved in art fair organizing and has been featured in many exhibitions at local galleries. Since retiring from hat making last year she concentrated on her hand drawn animated short films and her knitted wall pieces, which gradually became more and more complex.
Renée’s work has been featured at the Chazen Museum of Art, Kohler Art Center, SOFA Chicago, Fanny Garver Gallery, The CityArts Space in Madison, Katie Gingrass Gallery in Milwaukee, Smithsonian Craft Show 2015 and 2016, The American Craft Exhibition in Chicago and countless art fairs and galleries across the US for more than 3 decades.
Her artwork will be exhibited this spring at the Textile Art Center in Madison from March 14- April 17 and at the Smithsonian Craft Show 2025 April 23-27 in Washington, DC.
Renée loved to travel and had a natural talent for languages. She was known for her boundless creativity, her gentle and quiet personality, her thoughtful kind treatment of all friends, and her patient love for her family.
She was a swimmer and sailor, the curator of a hundred collections of tiny objects, a lover of candy, new shoes, perfectly round rocks, moss and word puzzles. She created numerous hand drawn comics including a series about the clams and other creatures of the Wisconsin River. She was able to execute a perfect backwards dive with ease.
She leaves behind her husband Kevin Earley and children Olive Earley and Dexter Earley. Also mother Terri Roeder, father Richard Roeder and siblings Mark Roeder, Marci Roeder and Leslie Roeder.
She will be buried at Natural Path Sanctuary and the memorial will be held at Goodman Community Center (214 Waubesa Street) on Thursday, March 13, 3:00-6:00 p.m.
To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.
Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services
2418 N. Sherman Avenue
608-249-8257
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Memories
RJ
Robin Janson
Other • about 2 months ago
Robin Janson planted 5 trees in memory of Renée Roeder Earley . - March 10, 2025
DL
Deborah Lindner
Other • about 2 months ago
Deborah Lindner planted 10 trees in memory of Renée Roeder Earley . - March 12, 2025
RH
Rita Hockers
Other • about 2 months ago
Rita Hockers planted 5 trees in memory of Renée Roeder Earley . - March 13, 2025
LL
Laura Lob
Other • about 2 months ago
Laura Lob planted 5 trees in memory of Renée Roeder Earley . - March 14, 2025
JC
Jenny and Doug Campbell
Other • 2 months ago
My husband Doug and I know Renee from artschool NY Studio School 1982-1984. It's truly a shock to learn of her untimely death. She was such a wonderful person and way so talented. We have a beautiful wedding gift she brought back from Japan. I wore inexpensive of her beautiful sweaters she knitted 35 years ago just yesterday. A funny memory... as students at NYSS each student was required to make lunch once for the semester. Doug and I made potato pancakes and Renee loved them so much she took the leftovers jar of batter and put it into her locker and evidently forgot about it. A few weeks later when she went to get something from her locker she discovered the jar had fermented and exploded and stinky potato pancake batter was encrusted all over her stuff. In typical Renee fashion she just exclaimed OH GEE! and laughed. She was great. She and her family visited us in Maine when the kids were young. It was so nice to reconnect after many years. We traded some yardsale finds...she gave us a kilt and she got a baby backpack carrier. The kilt still gets lots of use. RIP dear friend say hi to my other friends on the other side. ❤️🩹
BM
Bobbie (and Bill) Malone
Other • 2 months ago
I met Renee as a customer back in the mid 1990s and often told her that I was, undoubtedly, the largest consumer of her wonderful hats and pins. But as much as I admire and love her work, it was her total commitment to creativity, grace, gentleness, quiet joy, and valiant strength that she constantly exuded, qualities that she and Kevin bequeathed to Olive and Dexter. It's devastating to realize that she's no longer a part of her family, friends, and community, although she will live on in the beauty in which she surrounded us all.