Lynne Stout Bursic

Lynne Stout Bursic, a caring and curious person to everyone she met, passed away on September 8, 2026 at Hospeace House in Naples, NY. Her death was peaceful, with family members and friends at her side. She is survived by her husband Paul; daughter Meryl; sister Cynthia Slater (Rob); brother Richard Stout (Alicia); and mother Lorraine Stout (Richard, predeceased).

Lynne moved to the Finger Lakes from her native North Carolina in 1997 with Paul and Meryl. The family left behind Mulberry Silks and Fine Fabrics, a store founded in 1983 and still thriving in the hands of former, dedicated employees. Lynne was the creative force behind Mulberry. The store became a destination center for fabric lovers and a source of great inspiration for many artists in the region.

Once here in the Trumansburg area, Lynne turned to community service as well as further exploring fabric arts. She served on the Board of Ulysses Public Library and ran their semi-annual book sales, effectively using her retail experience to expand this fundraising activity. She then turned to Tompkins Learning Partners to serve as as a volunteer tutor. She found great pleasure and fulfillment in the assignments teaching English as a second language and was immensely grateful for the opportunity to assist in the successes her students achieved.

A lifelong learner, Lynne dedicated time cultivating many skills and interests, including reading and memorizing poetry, playing the piano, listening to and sharing new classical music, crafting from and curating her fabric collections, finding the perfect birthday or holiday present for loved ones, learning new words and languages, and appreciating all forms of art in all media. She was also active in the kitchen and the garden, with these intertwined interests resulting in new recipes and many dishes consisting of edible forageables.

Most important to Lynne was the beauty of the natural world and our collective place within it. To her, all things followed from this principle, including the importance of kindness and how we should treat one another in support of beauty in and appreciation of this world. As a family, we encourage you to memorialize your love of Lynne by donating in her name to the Hospeace House in Naples, NY, an amazing organization that helped make her final journey a beautiful one. https://hospeacehouse.org/donate/