In more ways than even she could ever know, Hawai'i artist Peggy Chun was an inspiration on how to live — in times of joy and in profound adversity.

She died Wednesday night, surrounded by family, succumbing after six years to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease that had progressively robbed her of mobility, communication and the ability to breathe on her own.

Throughout those six years she was a signpost for a good life — a life of generosity, humor, zest, resilience, sensitivity, passion, insight, deep inner strength and sense of adventure.

Chun has left Hawai'i a legacy of her artwork — she was known for her watercolors of Island life, her whimsical paintings and loving portraits of Mother Marianne Cope and Father Damien. But perhaps even more importantly, she has left a legacy of how to smile at and with life in all its ups and downs, and how to fully embrace the preciousness of our time on Earth, whatever challenges it holds for us.

And embrace it she did. When Chun lost the use of her painting hand, she learned to paint with her left hand, then she learned to paint by holding the brush in her teeth, then she learned to paint using a computer system that read her eye commands. In one of her last projects, Holy Trinity School students painted thousands of squares based on detailed instructions from Chun. Those students held the paintbrush for Chun; she taught them about helping people reach their dreams.

If the greatest legacy we leave others lies in the lessons of our own lives, Chun left great riches.