Katherine Oerting

Katherine Janet "McKenzie" Oerting passed away Saturday, April 11, 2009, after a four year struggle with cancer. McKenzie was born November 18, 1954 in Pensacola, Florida. Her family is of Danish Ancestry and operated the McKenzie Oerting Ship's Chandlery and Marine Supply in Pensacola over 100 hundred years ago. In the late 1980's she adopted the nickname "McKenzie" and used it as her business name. Affectionately known as the "purple haired chick", McKnezie was a very talented artist, well known by her work in all styles - painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media. She exhibited and won awards regularly in local and regional venues. McKenzie stayed very active in the art community throughout her long illness and has work displayed, this month, at the Arts and Design Society's Southeast Regional Exhibition at Northwest Florida State College and the University of Mobile Regional Art Exhibition in Mobile, Alabama. McKenzie served on the Board of Directors for Artel Gallery as Special Projects Coordinator. She juried art shows regularly, conducted workshops, gave lectures on the arts and was active with Pensacola Museum of Art and also the Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach. She was a mentor and inspiration to all artists in her community and much beloved. She was also active in sailing and the Pensacola Yacht Club community an owned an operated the McKenzie Oerting Marine Graphics for a number of years. McKenzie first studied art at Pensacola Junior College, then the California College of Arts in Oakland, CA and finally at the University of Houston where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Communications and Illustration. McKenzie is survived by her mother, Anne Oerting, father, John Oerting, two brothers, Richard and David Oerting, sister-in-law, Lisa Oerting, nephew John Michael Oerting, Aunt Rosemary Davis, cousins , Martin Baer and Petra Lattman, Aunt Loulee Shaw, and her particular friend and companion, Robert Noguere and many other devoted artists and friends.

Service

Funeral Service

Rose Lawn Funeral Home
2942 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, FL  32563
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
2:30 PM

Gathering of Family and Friends

Rose Lawn Funeral Home
2942 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, FL  32563
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
2:00 PM

Cemetery

Burial

Rose Lawn Cemetery
2942 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, FL  32563