of art & design
The Gregg Museum's Associate
Director, Dr. Lynn Jones Ennis, died suddenly early Tuesday morning.
Lynn was not only a fine teacher and thoughtful scholar, but a wonderful
colleague and friend, a gracious host, and a cheerful spirit. We will all
miss her deeply.
Condolences can be sent to her husband and daughter, Larry and Emily, at
the home address:
Larry W. Ennis, Emily Ennis
1500 Village Glen Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612-4344
A memorial service will be held at 1:00pm this Friday, July 29, at
the Jones Chapel at Meredith College, 3800 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh,
NC. Visitation with friends and family will be held afterward at
the Rotunda Gallery in Meredith's Johnson Hall.
Obituary:
Lynn Jones Ennis, 58, of Raleigh died unexpectedly on
July 26, 2011. Born Cynthia Lynn Jones in Sanford, FL, she was daughter
of the late Doward Nixon Jones and Hope Jones Stanton. Her stepfather,
Dr. Allie M. Stanton, preceded her in death.
She is survived by her husband Larry Wayne Ennis; daughter Emily Ennis Alexander,
her husband Chris and their daughter Tess of Raleigh. Also surviving are
mother Hope Jones Stanton of Plymouth, NC; brothers Doward Jones Jr. and
wife Arden, of Roper, NC; Allen Jones and wife Georgina of Raleigh; stepbrother
Dr. Edward Stanton of Sanford, NC. Surviving nieces and nephews include Phillip
Jones of Roper, Allison Jones of Raleigh, Hannah Rains and husband Heath
Grant of Raleigh and their children Elli and Greta; Erika DeBlasi and husband
Ernie of Boynton Beach, Fl and their child Benito.
Dr. Ennis was Associate Director and Curator of the Collection at The Gregg
Museum of Art & Design at North Carolina State University. In addition,
she taught a course on creativity in business in the NCSU Jenkins MBA program.
She earned a B.A. in history from Meredith College, a Master of Arts in Liberal
Studies (MALS) from Duke University and a Ph.D. in American Studies from
Union Institute and University.
In 1993 she received the Smithsonian American Art Museum's James Renwick
Fellowship in American Craft, Washington, DC. In 1995 she was guest curator
at the McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina. In 2002 she
was a gubernatorial appointee to the North Carolina Humanities Council and
served as Chair in 2007-2008.
Her research and interests included 20th century American craft history,
specifically the issues of creativity, creative process and voice, southern
women’s history and craft history. She wrote and lectured extensively on
the early years of the Penland School of Crafts.
Lynn was devoted heart and soul to promoting the arts and believed in its
powerful role in our lives. She was a true advocate for artists and craftspeople
and possessed a unique skill for connecting people to facilitate their visions
becoming reality. In her role as wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother
and friend, she exhibited that same tireless love to support dreams, inspire
creativity, comfort pains, and provide strength wherever needed.
She loved modern dance, tending her garden, being partner to her beloved
husband, being "Lulu" to her adoring granddaughter Tess, and taking
frequent calls from the multitude of friends and family who enjoyed her delightful
personality and leaned on her for support.
A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at the Jones Chapel
at Meredith College on Friday, July 29 at 1:00 pm with visitation afterward
at the Rotunda Gallery in Meredith's Johnson Hall. Interment will follow
at a later date in the family plot, Cedarwood Cemetery, Hertford, NC.
The family has requested that anyone wishing to honor Dr. Lynn Ennis do so
by sending a contribution to The Gregg Museum of Art & Design Campaign,
sent in care of Nicole Peterson, Director of Arts Development at ARTS NC
STATE, Campus Box 7306, Raleigh, NC 27695-7306.