Ann Robinson Dunn

Ann R. Dunn, affectionately known for nearly 70 years as "Granny," died peacefully on September 20, 2017, amidst the love and support of her family, and after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease that took her memory but not her beautiful spirit. She was 85 years old. Granny will be remembered for her contagious smile, positive energy, and the loving care she offered her family and those who suffered traumatic events in life.

Granny was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina, on October 17, 1931. During the summer of 1949, while working at a restaurant in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, she met Raymond E. Dunn ("Chief"), who had recently returned home from service as a B-29 pilot in World War II and a supply pilot for General Marshall in China after the war. They were married in Lincolnton on August 13, 1950.

Granny's first career was raising her family. Granny and Chief moved back to Pamlico County in 1952, where they nurtured five (5) children on a family farm. For over 25 years, she devoted nearly all of her time, attention, and energy to raising her children. She was a generous and loving mother, who instilled the values of integrity, perseverance and compassion in her children. She was a devoted member of Broad Street Christian Church and the Church choir.

In 1979, after all of her children emptied the nest, Granny resumed her education and launched her second career, where she became a remarkable role model for service to others. She enrolled at Craven Community College (CCC) and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing. After graduating from CCC, she was accepted at East Carolina University, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1983 (at the age of 52), and a Master of Science in Nursing, with an emphasis on Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing in 1987 (at the age of 56). In 1988, she was honored by the faculty as the Outstanding Graduate Student at the East Carolina University School of Nursing.

Granny was licensed as a Registered Nurse in 1981, and a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing in 1991. She never gave up on striving to expand her education. She was an early adopter of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as a new therapy approach, and she travelled across the country to secure the NLP training that she believed would enable her to better treat her patients, especially those suffering from traumatic life events.

Armed with her education, advanced degrees, and the practical experiences of raising children, Granny organized and founded the Chrysalis Counseling Center, Inc., a non-profit Corporation, which was dedicated to providing professional mental health counseling services to individuals, families, and children in the non-traditional setting of Broad Street Christian Church. Over the next 20 years, Granny worked tirelessly to advance the mission of Chrysalis and to provide counseling services to individuals and families in our community and across the State. Part of her mission, and the mission of Chrysalis, as a non-profit corporation, was to provide counseling services to those without resources to pay for the counseling they needed.

Consistent with her life-long mission of always offering a hand-up to those in need, Granny also established a scholarship at Craven Community College for deserving students who wished to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Her stated purpose in establishing the scholarship, now known as the Ann R. Dunn Endowment, Craven Community College Foundation, was to ensure that qualified nursing students enrolled at the college not be forced to withdraw for lack of financial resources. In 1994, she received the "Outstanding Community Service Award," Craven Community College Alumni Association.

Despite her many accomplishments, Granny's true passion was her family. She was a devoted wife to her beloved Chief, and their marriage spanned 51 years. She delighted in her children and grandchildren, and whether she was cooking for a large gathering, or rocking on the back porch at the "river," she cherished the time she spent with family, always offering sage advice, wise counsel, and lots of smiles and laughter. Her positive energy will endure forever in the hearts of those she touched.

Preceded in death by her husband, Raymond, Granny is survived by five children, Raymond E. Dunn, Jr., and wife Barbara, Donald J. Dunn and wife Terry, Stephen A. Dunn and wife Janis, Patricia A. Dunn and husband Doug Green, and Kathryn Dunn Moore and husband Mark; thirteen (13) grandchildren; and nine (9) great-grandchildren.

The family wishes to express its appreciation to Granny's devoted caregivers at the Home Place in New Bern. The family also wishes to thank the staff and health care providers at Craven County Hospice. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, September 22, 2017, at Cotten Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 23, 2017, at Broad Street Christian Church. The family will hold a private burial ceremony.

To continue Granny's legacy, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Ann R. Dunn Endowment, in care of the Craven Community College Foundation, 800 College Court, New Bern, NC.