Ann Gnys Obituary

Lincoln - Ann H. Gnys, 96, of Pine Tree Lane, a 60+ year resident of Lincoln and a committed devotee of the Vedanta Society of Providence, passed away peacefully in the arms of her daughter Judith Gnys on June 20, 2025. She was the wife of the late Edward L. Gnys, Jr.
Born in Providence on December 27, 1928 to Hugh and Anna (Moylan) Harrison, Ann was the second of ten children from a musical, Irish family. She was deeply proud of her Irish heritage and celebrated this bond with her nine siblings at countless family gatherings and songfests.
Ann graduated from Saint Mary's of the Visitation High School in Providence, Rhode Island in 1946 and worked for IBM during the 1950's, where she was intimately involved in IBM's pioneering election vote counting computers. In 1957, Ann married Providence attorney Edward L. Gnys, Jr. and the couple settled in Lincoln where they raised their family of four children.
A deeply spiritual woman, Ann's adult life was marked by a continuing quest for a higher meaning and truth. She was a devotee of the Vedanta Society of Providence, which she joined in the 1970s after discovering Hatha Yoga. Drawn to Vedanta's inclusive philosophy -- especially the teaching "Truth is One. Men call it by various names." -- Ann embraced the tradition as her spiritual home. Ann served faithfully as the Vedanta Society's Treasurer and Secretary for over 15 years and attended 6:00 a.m. morning meditations and prayers daily for 40 years.
Above all, Ann was a loving and devoted mother to her children and her grandchildren, whom she regaled with stories of many family shenanigans and to whom she passed her Irish spirit and culture.
Ann is survived by her daughters Judith Gnys of Lincoln, and Maryann Gnys of Hobe Sound, FL., her son Edward L. Gnys, III of Cumberland, R.I., as well as her grandchildren Dylan and Harrison Igoe, Alison Lehane, and Emily Doehler, and siblings Thomas Harrison, Arlene Kennedy, and William Harrison. Ann was predeceased by her brothers Robert, Joseph and Donald Harrison, and her sisters Jeanne Petit, Kathleen Hornstein, and Marylou O'Neill.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, June 27, 2025 at 10:00 AM in Saint Jude Church, 301 Front Street, Lincoln. Family and friends are invited. Visiting hours are respectfully omitted.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Ann's memory may be made to the Vedanta Society of Providence, 227 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906. For directions, or to leave a message of condolence, please visit www.bellowsfuneralchapel.com. Arrangements with Bellows Funerals & Cremations, 160 River Road, Lincoln.
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