Annabelle Lundy Fetterman, co-founder of the Campbell University Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, died on Aug. 22.
She was born on April 14, 1921 to the late Burrows T. and Mabel Lundy. She and her late husband, Lewis Fetterman, helped found the School of Business in 1983 to give students in the Southeast the opportunity to study business and free enterprise economics.
“Annabelle Fetterman was truly part of the ‘greatest generation’ at Campbell University,” said Campbell President J. Bradley Creed. “The investment of time, ideas and resources by Annabelle and Lewis Fetterman transformed the landscape and academic programs of Campbell University. On behalf of the Campbell University administration, trustees and campus community, we express our sincere condolences to the family.”
Today, the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business boasts nine premier undergraduate degree programs and two innovative graduate programs. Nearly 12,000 Business School alumni live and work in North Carolina’s Triangle region.
“We at the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Mrs. Annabelle Fetterman,” said Dean Kevin O’Mara. “The generosity and vision of Mrs. Fetterman and her family have impacted countless students in our business school and beyond.
“Her legacy will continue to inspire and equip students for generations to come.”
A native of Montoursville, Pennsylvania, Annabelle was raised in Berwick, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Berwick High School in 1939 and went on to earn her pilot’s license during a time when very few women flew airplanes. In 1947, she married Lewis and they enjoyed 63 years of marriage before his death in 2010.
Annabelle was an accomplished business leader with a thriving career at The Lundy Packing Company, the meat packing plant founded by her father when they moved to Clinton, North Carolina in 1949. She began her career with the company as an office manager before working her way up to chairwoman and CEO.
She served the family business with remarkable acumen, undaunted courage and steadfast dedication. During her tenure, she was listed as one of the Top 50 Women Executives in the United States by Working Woman magazine, and honored with induction into both the North Carolina Pork Council’s Hall of Fame and North Carolina Business Hall of Fame.
While Annabelle enjoyed many professional accomplishments, she felt a strong sense of duty to support her community and the people of eastern North Carolina — particularly in the areas of education, the arts and healthcare.
She developed a particular fondness for “the school at Buies Creek,” and with husband Lew helped create several academic scholarships at Campbell. She was a long-serving member of the University’s Board of Trustees and Presidential Board of Advisors.
Although Annabelle did not have the opportunity to attend college, she received an honorary degree from Campbell in 1987.
After moving south, the winter-blooming camellia flower captured Annebelle’s attention. Camellias would provide Annabelle a lifelong retreat as she and Lew grew blooms and exhibited them all over the world. She became a world-renowned camellia judge, the first woman president of the American Camellia Society and a director of the International Camellia Society.
Those who knew her will miss her loving spirit, sense of adventure and warm hospitality.
Annabelle was preceded in death by her husband Lewis M. Fetterman, her son Lewis M. Fetterman, Jr., and her brother B T Lundy, Jr.
Survivors include daughter Mabel “Molly” Fetterman Held; her grandchildren Charlotte Elizabeth Fetterman Harrell and husband Mark of Clinton, Lewis M “Trey” Fetterman, III and wife Madeline of Clinton, Bradford Kyle Held and wife Jennifer Doorey of Charlottesville, VA; and her great-grandchildren Carter Louise Harrell, John Franklin Harrell and Theodore Aiden Held.
The family wishes to thank the enumerable friends, neighbors, caregivers and loved ones who enriched her life and cherished her.
A celebration of Annabelle’s life is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24. A private graveside burial will precede a public service at 2 p.m. at Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church, where she served faithfully as a Ruling Elder, Sunday school teacher, and in countless other ways. Drs. Stephen Wilkins, James Goodloe, and Jerry Wallace will officiate. The family will receive friends at the church following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church, 201 Fayetteville St., Clinton, NC 28328; Campbell University “Lewis and Annabelle Fetterman Scholarship Fund,” P.O. Box 116, Buies Creek, NC 27506; or to the American Camellia Society, Massee Lane Gardens, 100 Massee Lane, Fort Valley, GA 31030.