It is with tremendous sorrow we report the passing of past Walton House Board Chair Inez Norwood Fridley, Gamma Beta–East Carolina University, and past Tri Sigma Foundation Board member Francis Wilhelm Redmon, Alpha Nu–Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Both passed into Omega Chapter on March 11, 2024.
Inez received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1966 and a master’s degree from East Carolina University where she was initiated in 1973. A longtime resident of Greenville, North Carolina, she was extremely active in her community, having served on both the town council and as Mayor Pro Tem.
She served Tri Sigma on the Walton House Board of Directors for nearly 20 years, held various Convention committee roles through the years, and was a past President of the Gamma Beta House Corporation. She was the recipient of the Founders Award, Outstanding National Officer Service Award, and had recently been presented with a Golden Violet, of which she was so very proud.
“Inez Fridley was a modern Renaissance woman. She loved her family, her neighbors, Greenville, and East Carolina University. She delighted in all forms of art, history and nature,” said longtime friend and Past Executive Council President Laura Ward Sweet. “Inez made us all better.”
Inez is survived by her two sisters and three special nieces, one of whom was named after her. Online condolences can be made here.
Frances—or Fran as she was known to her Tri Sigma sisters—graduated from the University of Illinois in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in Speech Education. She had previously attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale where she was initiated in 1956 and later served as Chapter President. She began a career in fashion and modeling and later pursued her dream of singing, dancing, and acting. After moving to Alexandria, Virginia, she remained active in the arts through involvement with several groups, including the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Alexandria Singers, and the Little Theatre of Alexandria. In 1998, she was appointed to the Virginia Commission for the Arts by the then governor.
Fran was a member of the Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter and previously served on the Tri Sigma Foundation Board of Directors and as a national sorority volunteer. She is a past recipient of the Emily Gates Alumna Achievement Award, an Alumna Recognition Award, and the Golden Violet.
“Fran will be missed by the many sisters she impacted. Whether through the Foundation Board, the Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter, or the many other places where she gave of her time and her talents, we will feel this loss deeply,” said Foundation Board Chair JeanMarie Komyathy Mattingly. “She loved Tri Sigma and was a wonderful member for many years!”
She is survived by her husband, son, and two granddaughters. Online condolences can be made here.
Sympathy cards may be mailed for both women to Tri Sigma National Headquarters at 207 North Muhlenberg Street, Woodstock, VA 22664, to be sent to the family.
