Nan McHenry Obituary

Nan Summers McHenry, 71, of Sarasota, Florida passed on May 21, 2025. Nan was born in 1954 of the late Bettie Summers McHenry, former Organist for First Community Church, Columbus, Ohio, and Nan's father the late Howard McHenry, former President of Summers and Son Music Stores, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
Nan is preceded in death by her brother Timothy McHenry. Nan is survived by her two sisters: Molly Ness and her husband Ron of Richmond, Texas, along with their daughter and her husband and children; as well as Lorrie Deehr of Sarasota, Florida and her husband Jeff.
Nan was a graduate of Upper Arlington High School near Columbus, Ohio. She earned both a Bachelor's degree and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
On November 3rd, 1985 Nan Summers McHenry was honored to receive the Algernon Sydney Award which recognized "those college students with noble character and hearts of a humble servant, who place service before self-interest".
Nan encouraged innovations through empowering relationships. Reflecting on more than fifty programs and service launches, (many during two decades of leadership roles with the Walt Disney Company), three of her core life themes: beauty, grace and harmony, continued to weave kaleidoscope patterns throughout all her life experiences.
In Nan's role as Director of Performance and Vitality for the Rippe Lifestyle Institute, then located at Celebration Health near Walt Disney World, she conducted corporate executive health assessments which gave her the opportunity to positively influence corporate leaders on the environments (both built and cultural) they provided to their employees and customers.
As a Disney Imagineer and Arvida/Disney master planned community leader, all aspects of sensory experience captured Nan's desire to create beauty in every design. Nan later co-founded High Impact Networks which served to innovatively connect all ages to explore interests and contribute their unique talents, co-creating with diverse people, collectively improving their communities and the world.
Growing up in a four-generation musical family with a multi-state business called Summers and Son Music Stores (founded in 1870), Nan was immersed in spaces that resonated with harmonic vibrations where she learned firsthand the profound impact of arts in healing.
Nan's self-inspired lifelong passions and talents were many and diverse. As a natural-born award-winning artist, Nan won awards for outstanding talent beginning in grade school for artistic drawing and painting. Included in the mix of her many other interests were gymnastics, swimming, spring-board diving and sailing. Nan's love of music extended to the pursuit of movement and dance. Later in life she developed a passion for alternative and natural healing.
Most recently Nan volunteered and was a proud member of multiple global boards promoting health, healing and humanitarian services. Nan's personal life included years of family caregiving as well as experience leading emergency preparedness programs for the employees of Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. Nan also contributed efforts to support local public sectors regarding disaster recovery efforts.
Nan's bright shining light and warm, caring essence will be missed by all who knew and loved her. In lieu of services please feel free to celebrate Nan's bright light while she was on this earth with kind loving thoughts, planting a tree, pansy flowers, gardenia, or rose bush somewhere special with dedication to Nan's memory.
Photo credit to Sorcha Augustine, Dance and Theatre Photographer, Sarasota, Florida