# Event Details - **Event Name**: Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 22 Apr, 2026 at 05:00 pm – Wed, 22 Apr, 2026 at 07:00 pm (-04:00) - **Event Description**: Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans Wednesday, April 22, 2026 | 5–7 p.m. | Alliance for the Arts |10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers | Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served The family of beloved local artist and longtime resident Barbara J. Yeomans is hosting a community celebration of life and art show at the Alliance for the Arts on April 22 from 5-7 p.m. to honor her life. Barbara passed away January 17 at age 92 after a brief illness. Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. In keeping with her wishes to “Be Happy,” the event will be a joyful reminder of her vibrant spirit and lifelong commitment to the arts. Guests are encouraged to wear their most colorful attire in her honor. A curated selection of Barbara’s artwork will be on display in the Alliance main gallery and available to purchase. The show was curated by her daughter Erika and Julio Gonzalez Batista, the Alliance’s Gallery and Artist Relations Manager. All proceeds will go to the Alliance to support its ongoing initiatives in arts education and community programming. “Barbara Yeomans was a role model for so many,” said Carolyn Gora, Board President of the Alliance for the Arts. “She lived her life in a way that added vibrancy, heart and purpose to our local community, and the Alliance for the Arts. We are grateful for her involvement as founder, supporter and artist for 50 years.” In conjunction with the celebration, Barbara’s children, Adam, Jane and Erika, are proud to announce an expansion of the Lawrence Sherrill Yeomans Scholarship Fund at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. Barbara established the scholarship 40 years ago at then-Edison Community College to help students pursue art studies after her husband Sherrill, a commercial printer and founder of Press Printing Company, passed away suddenly at age 54. The scholarship at Florida SouthWestern will be renamed the L. Sherrill and Barbara J. Yeomans Scholarship Fund and will support students in both the arts and health sciences. Donations can be made at https://foundation.fsw.edu/Yeomans. During her hospice care, Barbara wanted to honor the compassionate professionals who dedicate their lives to hospice and nursing care. One of her final wishes was to create scholarship opportunities for students pursuing nursing and allied health degrees. “For more than four decades, Barbara’s generosity helped open doors for aspiring art students at Florida SouthWestern State College,” said Dr. Geraldine Gallagher, FSW Foundation executive director. “The scholarship, established in memory of Sherrill, and now her, creates a legacy that reflects her belief in and lifelong commitment to education, creativity, and caring for others. Through it, she will continue to inspire and uplift generations of FSW students.” Barbara’s remarkable life spanned two continents and eras of profound change. Born in England, her childhood was shaped by the turbulence of World War II. After her family’s London home was bombed, they relocated to The Cotswolds region of south-central England. As a teenager, Barbara demonstrated exceptional artistic talent and earned an art scholarship to study fashion at Cheltenham College of Art. During her studies, she won several design awards and trained under some of the leading artists of the time. While in England, she met Sherrill, an American airman stationed overseas during the Korean War. She immigrated to the United States in 1954 to marry Sherrill, raise three children, and make Fort Myers her lifelong home. Barbara and Sherrill were early supporters of the Alliance for the Arts in the 1970s. Following Sherrill’s death in 1985, Barbara returned to her own artistic studies, enrolling at Edison Community College to pursue printmaking. Her work has been exhibited in galleries nationwide and abroad. She held solo exhibitions at BIG ARTS, the Alliance for the Arts, and Broadfoot & Broadfoot Gallery in New York City. Her artistic practice evolved to include mixed media, painting, and a wide range of printmaking techniques. She became active with numerous arts organizations such as ArtHouse Foundation and was a sponsor of the Yoko Ono Imagine Peace exhibition at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery. In 2018, Barbara was honored as a Grande Dame by the PACE Center for Girls of Lee County, recognizing her lifelong dedication to the arts, mentorship, and community service. Most recently, she donated artwork to the Gulf Harbour Country Club’s Lee County Cancer Institute 2026 fundraiser. 🕊️ Read more about Barbara’s life and legacy: https://www.fortmyersmemorial.com/obituaries/barbara-yeomans-2 🎨 To honor her memory, donations may be made to the In Loving Memory of Barbara Yeomans Fund supporting the Alliance for the Arts: https://allianceforthearts.donation.veevartapp.com/donation/view/home/in-loving-memory-of-barbara-yeomans The April 22 event will begin at 5 p.m. in the Alliance main gallery with a brief presentation at 6 p.m. in the theatre. Barbara wanted a party—and the evening will reflect that spirit of joy, gratitude and community. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/fort-myers/be-happy-a-celebration-of-life-for-barbara-j-yeomans/200029943276612 - **Event Categories**: art, nonprofit, exhibitions, health-wellness, fine-arts, theatre, crafts, parties, sports, it, entertainment - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 18 ## Ticket Details ## Event venue details - **city**: Fort Myers - **state**: FL - **country**: United States - **location**: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL, United States, Florida 33919 - **lat**: 26.5948 - **long**: -81.8907 - **full address**: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL, United States, Florida 33919 ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/324f922bf3c4ee9ff57f746e131117c709dc1827756daa6ceea09247590ac69e-rimg-w600-h390-dc782e1b-gmir?v=1776202332 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans being held? - **A:** Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans takes place on Wed, 22 Apr, 2026 at 05:00 pm to Wed, 22 Apr, 2026 at 07:00 pm at 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL, United States, Florida 33919. - **Q**: Who is organizing Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans ? - **A:** Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans is organized by Alliance for the Arts. - **Q**: What has been the experience of attendees at Alliance for the Arts's events? - **A:** Alliance for the Arts has 203+ followers on AllEvents, reflecting a trusted and active community of event-goers who follow their events. Alliance for the Arts has a verified profile on AllEvents where you can read reviews and explore their upcoming events. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans is ideal for art lovers, trade professionals, collectors, and exhibition enthusiasts exploring the latest in their field. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Fort Myers, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/324f922bf3c4ee9ff57f746e131117c709dc1827756daa6ceea09247590ac69e-rimg-w600-h390-dc782e1b-gmir?v=1776202332", "startDate": "2026-04-22T17:00:00-04:00", "endDate": "2026-04-22T19:00:00-04:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/fort-myers/be-happy-a-celebration-of-life-for-barbara-j-yeomans/200029943276612", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL, United States, Florida 33919", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33919-1002, United States", "addressLocality": "Fort Myers", "addressRegion": "FL", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "26.5948", "longitude": "-81.8907" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Be Happy: A Celebration of Life for Barbara J. Yeomans \n\nWednesday, April 22, 2026 | 5–7 p.m. | Alliance for the Arts |10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers | Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served\n\nThe family of beloved local artist and longtime resident Barbara J. Yeomans is hosting a community celebr", "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Alliance for the Arts", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/alliance-for-the-arts/340489", "description": "Connecting Art, Culture and Community in southwest Florida since 1975." } ] } ] ```