Victor Stonebanks Denny

GARNER - Victor Stonebanks Denny, 68, of Garner, NC passed away on August 16, 2024, after a long illness. Victor is survived by his wife, Terry Anne Olson Denny, his sister, Elizabeth B. Denny, and a number of cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Emery B. Denny, Jr. and Betty Stonebanks Denny and younger sister, Sarah Anne Denny of Chapel Hill.

He was born October 20, 1955, in Durham, NC and grew up in Chapel Hill. From a young age Victor loved music, receiving his first drum set at age 7. He made his first foray into the world of professional music at Grey Culbreth Junior High School where his band, the Reactions, earned $36 for playing at a Mardi Gras dance. During his time at Chapel Hill High School, he played in the band and the marching band. After high school, he played with the Village Band, a non-profit community concert band.

Victor earned a Bachelor's in Music in 1978 at The Boston Conservatory of Music, where he met his wife, Terry. While in Boston, he played with various orchestra groups in the Boston area, including Cambridge and Hingham.

Victor earned a Master's in Music (Concentration: Percussion Performance) from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1980. While there, he served as a graduate teaching assistant. After graduation he worked at Carl Fischer Music in Boston until his marriage in 1983. He and Terry performed locally with their band, Mandalay, until returning to North Carolina the following year.

Victor worked at Burrage Music Company in Raleigh for a number of years, and also at various community and dinner theaters in the area as percussionist, keyboardist and musical director. He and Terry founded Creative Enterprises and Supportive Musical Services, transcribing notation and recording background music tracks for many local musicians as well as for the Miss Clayton and Miss North Carolina pageants. They also performed many Christian concerts in the Triangle area as Two by Two, composed music for several outdoor dramas at Aversboro Road Baptist Church, and later formed Koala Kompany, a children's theater group. They wrote and performed 14 original musicals for local libraries, schools, daycares, churches, and community events. He also taught private percussion lessons for a number of years.

While he continued to love performing, Victor was also an exceptionally kind and generous individual who enjoyed sharing his love for music with others. To that end, Victor later received teacher licensure from Campbell University and taught elementary music in Wake County Public Schools. He was a presenter for the NC Symphony Teacher Workshop in 2007. Victor taught a number of staff development sessions for WCPSS as well as writing assessments for the Arts Department. He was a member of the Advisory Board at Marbles Museum and participated for many years in their Kickoff to Kindergarten, presenting sample music classes to incoming kindergartners. After retirement, he and Terry visited local schools as volunteers, guest speaking on fossils. He was a member of the North Carolina Fossil club, recently serving as Hospitality Chair. He remained active in music at his church, Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner, playing in the church Orchestra, and leading the handbell choir, The Joyful Ringers.

Victor was a devoted husband, loving brother, and cared deeply for his extended family and friends. He was a man of great faith, always remaining positive and optimistic no matter the difficulties he faced. He loved doing things for others, and he will be greatly missed.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 21, from 6-8pm at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home located at 831 Wake Forest Rd in Raleigh. The funeral will be held on Thursday, August 22, at 11am at Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner. Burial will follow later that afternoon at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the North Carolina Symphony or to a charity of one's choice.

Funeral arrangements are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com