Ann Opgenorth

March 27, 1942 ~ February 16, 2022

Ann L. Opgenorth was beloved by her fellow artists and Gallery members. She passed away on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL, as the result of an accident. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin on March 27, 1942, to the late Virginia Annie Bonesho and Alexander H. Opgenorth. Ann was a graduate of Marycrest College, Davenport, Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame. She was also a member of Kappa Gamma Pi. Ann was assistant professor of art at Marycrest College for six years before resigning to work full time as a professional artist. Her artworks, spanning metal sculpture (which include the wolves at Florida Gateway College and the steel sculpture at Alligator Lake), wood carving, painting, art glass, and quilting, have been displayed internationally in West Berlin, Germany, Seoul, Korea, and in many churches in the United States. Ann was the founder of Ivy Ridge Studios, which she opened in 1964 in LeClaire, Iowa before relocating to Lake City, FL in 1990. She was commissioned for numerous paintings and sculptures for homes and public buildings and won many awards including those from the National Sculpture Society, the American Institute or Architects, and was listed in “Outstanding Young Women of America.” Ann is survived by her husband Monroe Morrell and step children Larry Morrell of Longwood, FL, Bob Morrell of Cape Coral Florida and Marilyn Hamm of Lake City, FL. Some of her work can still be found within the Gateway Art Gallery, thanks to the generosity of her family.