Remembering Debi Owens

Debi Owens, far left, with the mARTies Student Visual Artist, Shelby Baillie, and Nancy Turrell (2015)
Our Arts Council family is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Deborah L. Owens (9/15/2018). Debi served as a member of our board of directors since 2012 and served a variety of key leadership roles, including most recently as the Chairperson. Debi's commitment to the Arts Council was strong and visible through her active efforts to serve on the mARTies Committee (twice as chair), as a volunteer at ArtsFest, to introduce us to possible donors and friends, and to lend a hand whenever and wherever needed. Her absence will be felt for years to come. Debi was a member of Women Supporting the Arts for several years and enjoyed participating in giving funds to the many organizations and artists who applied for funding from our giving circle. Her commitment to this community was second to none as she also served on a variety of boards in addition to the Arts Council's including The Historical Society of Martin County (Elliott Museum), Humane Society and others. In her role as a vice president at Wilmington Trust, Debi was often the representative from Wilmington who the community saw at events due to their sponsorships gifts.
Gifts in her memory are being accepted by the Arts Council. Funds given in Debi's memory will support our efforts to engage youth in the arts and to encourage others to volunteer their time, talents and treasure for the arts.