Lalage K. Oates Warrington

Lalage Katherine Oates Warrington, an accomplished sculptor and teacher of the arts, died November 15th, 2023, at Hospice of the Carolinas in Landrum, SC. An independent and wise woman with a tremendously caring spirit and sharp wit, Lalage had a lifelong love of the arts and an enduring sense of fun. She was persistently optimistic, found humor in the mundane, and strived to find good in everyone she met. The wisdom which she shared and taught will continue to influence us for years to come. Lalage was a force of nature; feared by some and admired by many. And she faced the end of her life with inspiring Christian faith, dignity, and grace. She was born on January 7th, 1930, in Asheville, NC, to Kate Montgomery Oates Ward and Fred Blanton Oates, and spent her life with her siblings and cousins in Spartanburg, SC and Western NC. She attended Pine Street Elementary School and Spartanburg Junior High School before going to the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT, graduating in 1948. She graduated from Stephens Junior College in Columbia, MO, in 1950 and subsequently from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in art in 1952, where she was a Pi Beta Phi and a Senior Sister Chairman. Her graduate work was conducted under Dr. Davidson at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, and at the Black Mountain Art Group. She was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church of the Advent and many civic and charitable organizations in Spartanburg. In 1958, Lalage married James Whittaker Warrington, an accomplished equestrian and business owner. Both were lifelong equestrians, and Lalage founded Country Pines Riding School in Spartanburg, SC. As an equestrian instructor, she was honored to create a positive influence on the lives of many of Spartanburg’s young people and future leaders. Upon retirement from equestrian teaching, she taught at the Spartanburg Art Center and at Converse College. She worked in forensic arts, solving several missing persons cases for local and national law enforcement, including the FBI. She presented her papers to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences at several national conventions and was written up in national journals. She also volunteered for the SC Guardian Ad Latium program and the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. At her farm in Campobello, SC, she co-founded a therapeutic riding program for special needs children called HALTER (Healing and Learning Through Equine Relationships). HALTER continues to operate in Spartanburg County today. During this period, she became involved in the arts in Tryon, NC, teaching and exhibiting at Tryon Painters and Sculptors. She was also affiliated with the Spartanburg Artists Guild and loved her work at the Spartanburg Art Center. At 81 years young, Lalage quit tractoring on her farm and retired to Summit Hills Retirement Community, where she loved keeping company with her many lifelong friends and welcoming new friendships. Lalage remained active in her art until her last weeks. She lived by her motto, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” When she was no longer able to sculpt, she indulged her creative spirit by publishing books of her work with associated quotes, singing with the retirement community choir, and dancing (she was often among the last people on the dance floor). When she was no longer able to dance, she took to drumming on any nearby surface. Her mind, spirit, and faith remained strong until her last wakeful moments. She is preceded in death by her parents, her twin brother Walter Montgomery Oates (Julie), her beloved sister Betty Oates Gage (Theodore), and her older brother Fred B. Oates, Jr. (Tena). She is survived by her son, James Whittaker Oates Warrington (Elizabeth Butterworth); daughter, Elizabeth Warrington Maiche (Luc); her grandchildren, J. Whittaker O. Warrington, Jr. (Cecelia), Hanna Kate Warrington Edwards (Josh), Elizabeth Love Warrington Vandenbark (Devan), Joshua Maiche, Kelly Lalage Maiche (Ben Hamburger), and Anna Maiche (Nicolas Bosc); great grandchildren Edith Vandenbark, Charlie Vandenbark, and Owen Edwards; sister-in-law Julia Oates; and a flock of wonderful nieces and nephews. Her family wishes to gratefully recognize the local artist community, and to thank Summit Hills Retirement Community, Lakewood Assisted Living, Agape Hospice Care, and her special caregivers who became family friends: Charity Morrison, Lisa Ramen and Kay Wells. Funeral Services will be on Tuesday, November 21st, 2023, 3:00 PM at The Episcopal Church of The Advent, with a reception to follow at the Piedmont Club. A private committal service will be held in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lalage’s favorite non-profit organizations, Doctors Without Borders or HALTER: DoctorsWithoutBorders.org Doctors Without Borders USA PO Box 5030 Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030 HALTER 1-864-586-1671 HALTER PO Box 1403 Spartanburg, SC 29304