Amy Martin Dean

Amy was born on March 16, 1963, in Atlanta, GA to Robert L. Martin and Patricia Campbell Martin. Amy grew up in Raleigh and graduated in 1981 from Athens Drive High School. She graduated from NC State in 1986 with a BA Communications, Minor in Design. The same year, she also graduated from Meredith College with a BA Elementary Education, Minor in Graphic Art and Advertising.

Amy was born with medical complications that required several surgeries before the age of 10. Her resilience was evident throughout her life. She was a fighter, overcoming several challenges and seldom allowing setbacks to slow her down.

People and art were Amy’s early passions. During her school years, when it was time to do homework, the art related subjects always were done first. She was a big part of the yearbook design and layout team at Athens. While at NC State, she flourished as a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority.

Upon graduating from college, she worked at Spectator Magazine in the late 1980’s as a graphic artist. The account reps could rely upon Amy to provide an on-time, creative, and quality advertisement. Amy later started her own graphic design business that continued throughout her life helping local businesses re-brand their logos and develop new marketing brochures. In 2010, she began her contract employment with the International Society for Concrete Pavements where she served as Art Director and Editor-in-Chief.

It was during a trip to California in the mid 1980’s where she met Gregory Dean. They shared greeting cards, sometimes homemade - hers so much better than his - and developed a friendship until he returned to Raleigh. Their evolving friendship was the epitome of one of her favorite sayings “a guy chases a girl, until she catches him”! Their mutual love of REM (and alternative music) and frequent travels to the beautiful beaches and mountains of NC helped grow their friendship into love. They married on November 10, 1990, and together they raised their two sons, Campbell Arlan Dean, born March 2, 1992 and Robert Harrison Dean, born on March 24, 1997. Greg’s job often required travel, so it was Amy, as a proud stay-at-home Mom, who took charge ensuring their sons were raised with discipline and love.

Amy leaves behind her husband their sons and her parents, as well as her daughter-in-law Sarah James, brothers John (Renee) Martin and Scott (Gari) Martin, father in-law, Gerald (Mercedes) Dean, sister-in-law Dana Dean, nephew Sam Martin, niece Mariah Martin and many cousins. They all will miss her wit, generosity, love of art, and warm heart. Every friend of Amy’s boys was welcomed as part of the family.

A memorial service for Amy Martin Dean will be held in the chapel at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, NC at 3pm on Friday, August 19. The service will be followed by a 5pm reception in the clubhouse of The Franklin at Crossroads Apartments, 6010 Attleboro Drive, in Raleigh.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in honor of Amy Dean to one of the following: St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Saving Grace Animals for Adoption or the Sigma Kappa Foundation. If you choose the Sigma Kappa one, please make the following note on your check – Gamma Phi House Corporation in memory of Amy Martin Dean and mail to 695 Pro-Med Lane, Suite 300 Carmel, IN 46032.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BrownWynneCary.com for the Dean family.