Edith Lunn

Edith Keaton Lunn, 91, of High Point, NC, died Friday, August 5, 2011, at the Hospice Home of High Point, following a lengthy illness.



She was born April 14, 1920, to the late John S. and Margaret Stewart Keaton, in Whiteville, TN. After moving to Henning, she graduated from Ripley (Tennessee) High School. She attended The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and at Martin, before receiving her teachers certificate from Memphis State College (now The University of Memphis). She taught primary grades in Lauderdale and Hardeman counties (TN) for several years before moving to Nashville to begin a 25-year career as a social worker for the State of Tennessee. After retiring from the State, she returned to teaching briefly, serving as the principal of Lauderdale Academy. She was married to the late Sidney Terrell Lunn, Jr., for 38 years, and they lived most of their married life in Memphis and Henning (TN), before retiring to Smithville (TN) in 1986.



Edith was a United Methodist and a former Sunday School teacher. She lived her faith and was passionate about making a difference in the lives of the adoptive and foster children in her care when she worked as a Child Welfare Worker. After retirement, she was an active member of Kings Daughters and served as chapter officer of the We-Ah-Tah-Umba Chapter, NSDAR, in Shelby County. She also served as President of the AARP chapter in DeKalb County (TN). After the death of her husband, she moved to Pickerington, OH, where she founded a support group for widows, for which she was honored as the Outstanding Senior of Central Ohio in 1992.



Edith was also passionate about her sports: she loved Memphis Tiger and Duke basketball, Braves baseball, and Vols football. She lived to play bridge, which she said kept her young, and she played in every state where she lived: TN, OH, GA, FL, MO, and NC. She also loved to travel, often with friends, and she visited all 50 states and at least 10 foreign countries in her lifetime. Edith made friends easily and was fond of quoting Emerson: "The only way to have a friend is to be one."



Edith will be greatly missed by her family: daughter Patricia Lunn Adsit and husband Thomas of High Point, NC, with whom she lived for over 21 years; son Jack Lunn and wife Julie of Nashville; step-son, Terry Lunn and wife LaDonna, of Turners Station, KY; and granddaughter, Maredith Lunn Adsit, of Louisville, KY. Her passing is also mourned by several nieces, nephews, and cousins; friends from several states; and the three hound members of the household: Gus, Duchess, and Elmo.