Gay Carson

Family-Placed Death Notice

CARSON, Mrs. James Mrs. James E. Carson, Sr. of Atlanta died at home early Tuesday following a four-year battle with breast cancer. She was the wife of Jim Carson, retired vice-president of Egleston Children's Hospital and a former Atlanta Constitution sports writer. Gay Barr Carson was born July 2, 1934 in Chilhowie, Virginia and moved at an early age to Shady Valley, Tennessee where her father managed a 365- acre apple orchard. She attended high school at a Lutheran boarding school in Konnarock, Virginia. Gay attended college in Berea, Kentucky and was a cum laude graduate of Emory and Henry College in Virginia. While at Emory she received a nursing degree from the George Ben Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia. Upon marrying Jim, she came to Atlanta in 1957 where she was on the nursing staff at Emory University Hospital. She later joined the faculty of Georgia Baptist School of Nursing, specializing in geriatric nurse training with students at Wesley Woods Health Center. Her first love was her family, a son Jim and daughter Laura, and she delighted in regaling them and their childhood friends with stories of growing up on a mountain farm where she walked a mile to catch a school bus, helped with family chores by milking a cow, picking wild blackberries and tending the family garden. For the past 25 years she has had a 1000 square-foot garden that provided fresh vegetables to her neighbors. For more than 30 years the late outdoor author Charlie Elliott claimed Gay as a daughter and he annually provided a wild turkey that was the centerpiece of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the Carson and Elliott families. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, son, Jim, Jr. an Atlanta architect, Laura an actress living in Los Angeles, a daughter-in-law, Debra a granddaughter Katharine of Atlanta; her 96-year-old mother Mrs. Paul Barr of Shady Valley, Tennessee, a twin brother, Dr. William Clay Barr of Knoxville, Tennessee and a brother Bennett of Knoxville. Her body was cremated. A memorial service will be held Saturday morning May 24 at 11a.m. at the Oak Grove United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends at a reception in the church fellowship hall following the service. Any tributes should be directed to breast cancer research at the Winship Cancer Center of Emory University, c/o Development Office, 1762 Clifton Road, Plaza 1000, Atlanta, GA 30322. Cremation Society of the SOUTH is in charge of arrangements 770/420-5557.