Terry Elise Lennox

Terry Elise Lennox, 73, of Ivoryton, Connecticut, beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, cousin, friend, educator and artist passed away on February 20, 2026 in Middletown, Connecticut surrounded by her loving family.

Terry was born on Staten Island, New York in 1952 to John E. Lennox and Dorothy Halama Lennox. She earned a BFA, Magna Cum Laude in Painting from Syracuse University, a fellowship to the Yale Summer School of Music and Art, and an MFA in Painting from Yale University in 1974.

After college, she embarked on a series of community-involved arts initiatives, including painting and directing numerous murals in New Haven. Terry was a very active participant in the arts scene in the city in the ‘70s and ‘80s and enjoyed exciting collaborations with other artists. In one, Terry and a partner received a grant from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts to paint murals in the local welfare department and correction center. Terry also became involved with an arts-in-social service nonprofit called City Spirit Artists — working and volunteering at all levels in this award-winning organization, up to Executive Director and then Board President. She held the belief throughout her life that practice of the arts has enormous human value.

Terry later became a tenured Professor of Digital Art & Design and Chair of the Art & Art History Department at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she taught illustration and graphic design and instilled her love of art in hundreds of students. Her approach emphasized service learning as a bridge between academic instruction and industry practice, demonstrating that students gain deeper professional competence when their work creates positive community impact. During her career, Terry also created art for corporate and private clients in illustration, design, portraiture, and sculpture. She exhibited widely, won awards and grants, and was a member of the College Art Association, Graphic Art Guild, and Connecticut Society of Pastel Artists.

In addition to her extensive work as an artist, Terry had a profound love of the Connecticut River and immersed herself in the beauty of nature and in her local community through sailing, kayaking, hiking, and more recently, involvement in the Essex Garden Club. She was passionate about our local and global environment.

Terry was known for her warmth, generosity, and creative spirit. She believed deeply in collaboration, compassion, and the power of people working together to create positive change. Throughout her work and her life, she created light wherever she went. Terry lived as the mural in the welfare department was titled: "We Can Do It All Better Together, In Peace, In Joy, In Love".

Terry was preceded in death by her husband Thomas Corso and is survived by daughters Lucia Corso of Medford, Massachusetts and Abigail Corso of Madison, Wisconsin, and siblings Diane Lennox Bares, Karen Lennox, John R. Lennox, and Janice Huff. She also leaves numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and very dear friends.

Memorial services will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Essex, Connecticut.

Flowers should be directed to Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street, Centerbrook, CT 06409.