Gretchen "Greta" Anton Coy

Gretchen Greta Coy was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1923. She grew up in Ames, Iowa, and lived there until retirement in 1988 when she and her husband moved to Lake Okoboji. She studied for a couple of years at Iowa State University, and received a special one-year degree in aeronautical engineering in a wartime program at the University of Texas. She is married and had four sons; one son has died. She works mostly in acrylic—stylized hard edge and representational realism.

Gretchen Anton Coy was a participant in the Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical Program during World War II. The Curtiss-Wright Program trained college women in aeronautical engineering to replace men who were serving in World War II. Coy was enrolled in the program at Iowa State University and was transferred to the University of Texas for her training. She subsequently worked at the company's plant in St. Louis, Mo. She works as an artist and teacher at the Lakes Art Center and resides in Okoboji, Iowa.