Tampabay: King of Kings exhibit sculptor dies at 85

ST. PETERSBURG -- Leone Chaney, a wax sculptor who created the King of Kings exhibit featured at Sunken Gardens for many years, died Wednesday (Jan. 29, 2003) at Coquina Key Health and Rehab Center. She was 85.

The exhibit, a presentation of the life of Jesus Christ, was dedicated in March 1968 when the tourist attraction on Fourth Street N unveiled a new restaurant and "the world's largest gift shop, with over 8-million items."

After arriving here in 1960 from Columbus, Ohio, Mrs. Chaney also displayed her life-size wax re-creation of The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Shown earlier elsewhere in the country, it drew crowds at Maas Brothers department stores in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Lakeland and Sarasota.

The King of Kings exhibit closed in the mid 1990s and was purchased by the Museum of Religious Arts in Logan, Iowa. In September 1999, the city paid about $2.26-million for Sunken Gardens. The site is undergoing massive redevelopment.

Survivors include a son, Martin W. Krewson Jr., Hillsboro, Mo.; a sister, Florence Grinaker, St. Petersburg; a brother, Charles Bremser, St. Louis; seven grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 4 at Calvary Cemetery. Brett Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in charge.

-- Information from Times files was used in this obituary.

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