One of the brightest lights of the historic Landers Theatre has dimmed. Fay Ollis—beloved patron, preservationist, and champion of Springfield Little Theatre—has passed away at the age of 91, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy that will be felt for generations.

The daughter of Springfield Little Theatre’s original matriarch, Frances Vandivort, Fay was born into a life of the arts. Her devotion to SLT was lifelong and deeply personal. In 1970, alongside her husband Larry and close friend Virgil Anderson, Fay helped lead the pivotal effort to secure a permanent home for the theatre—a decision that would shape Springfield’s cultural landscape forever.

“They looked at the Gillioz and they looked at the Fox, and then they decided to buy The Landers,” SLT Executive Director Beth Domann explained. “The others were built as movie theaters. The Landers was the only legitimate theatre left. It was on the Orpheum Circuit.”

To make that vision a reality, the Ollis and Anderson families personally secured a $100,000 loan to purchase the building. That bold act of faith ensured the survival of the Landers Theatre, which has since hosted hundreds of productions and served as a creative home for countless artists, volunteers, and audiences. Beyond the stage, the building’s upper floors have housed offices, costume shops, rehearsal spaces – the quiet, essential work that keeps theatre alive.

Fay’s love for the Landers history was unmistakable. One of her most cherished contributions still greets patrons in the Landers lobby today, a portrait of John Landers that she and Larry purchased at auction specifically for the theatre. It remains a memento of their thoughtful generosity.

Although never a performer, Fay played an indispensable role in preserving Springfield Little Theatre’s story. Domann fondly remembers hours spent poring over old photographs with Fay, carefully identifying the volunteers who risked being forgotten.

“She and Margaret Blackwood would come up to the office, and we’d get all of these pictures and stuff out and we would go through because she knew everybody. I don’t think there’s anybody in this town she didn’t know,” Domann marveled. “She would help label all of those pictures because they were old and we didn’t know who a lot of those people were.”

Fay herself was unforgettable. Domann recalls that Fay was ‘always put together’, elegant, and witty. “Funny, dry sense of humor. She had a great laugh.”

Fay and Larry attended high school together at Greenwood Laboratory but didn’t connect romantically until years later. After attending Drury University, Fay studied in Boston and Arkansas and worked in St. Louis. Larry pursued his own studies and served abroad in the U.S. Army. Their love story truly took shape back in Springfield—fittingly, at the Landers Theatre.

“…We met during a project the Little Theatre was putting together,” Ollis recalled in a recent interview. “I was typing in the office at the front desk when he walked in and I recognized him. We began enjoying a casual relationship, dating off and on for the next three years. When we decided we should get married, my mother asked, ‘How long does it take to print invitations?’

“ ‘Five weeks,’ I told her, so that’s how we set the date: July 5, 1969.” The Ollis’ recently celebrated 55 years of marriage.

They both found their way home to Springfield, but Fay and Larry maintained a deep love for travel. They once owned an apartment in Europe and, after years of running Ollis and Company Insurance, later acquired Thomas Travel. Still, Springfield always held their hearts. Fay was deeply committed to preservation and progress in the Ozarks and served as President of the Junior League, further cementing her role as a Springfield legend.

“It’s just such the end of an era,” Domann lamented, “These are the people you looked up to. There’s just always more to learn from them. You just respected the hell out of them. I admired them, tremendously.”

Fay Ollis will be remembered for her generosity, her intellect, her humor, and her unwavering devotion to Springfield Little Theatre. Her legacy lives on in the Landers Theatre’s walls, its stories, and the countless lives she helped shape along the way.

“When I got invited to their house for a dinner party, that was it. I had made it. My life was complete,” Domann reflected. “They were just the most kind, generous, fun, smart [people]. She didn’t miss a trick.”

Springfield Little Theatre is forever grateful to the Ollis family for their decades of support. Fay will be deeply missed.