Carol Payne Brinkley

After bravely enduring a five-month long illness with Leukemia, Carol Payne Brinkley left us to be with her Lord and Savior and returned home to God on Thursday evening, February 4, 2021. Throughout her illness she steadfastly exhibited courage, positivity, and a gentle grace, which was typically how she met the challenges of every day she spent with us on this earth. Carol was a native of Connecticut but spent her childhood years growing up in Mount Vernon, NY and in Hillsdale, NJ. She graduated from Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale in 1971. Carol attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL, and graduated in 1975 with a BA degree in English, and a minor in French. She then spent the next few years living in Germany, where she variously worked as a health spa attendant in Bad Fielenbach and as an Au Pair in the town of Wolfratshausen, a suburb of Munich. Upon her return to the United States, Carol took some post-graduate courses at the New School in New York City and worked at the United Nations headquarters, while living in Cranford, NJ. Her next job in the Marketing Division of the Trailways Bus Company headquarters in downtown Manhattan marked the start of her career in the travel and tourism industry. In early 1983, she accepted a position as Manager of the Group Sales Department with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which was the life-changing move that brought her to Virginia. She later transferred to other jobs in CW's Marketing Department, in Print Production Services, and back to the Group Sales Department, in a long and fruitful career that spanned over 33 years. In 1988, Carol took an employee recreational sketching class, where she met her husband-to-be, M. Kent Brinkley, who was one of two class instructors, and was then serving as Foundation Landscape Architect for Colonial Williamsburg. They were married in May 1990 at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church, by the Rev. Jack Martin, and the Rev. Robert J. Payne, Carol's father. They honeymooned at various locations in the Shenandoah Valley, in Northern Virginia, and in Maryland, and returned to this area to make their home in James City County for their entire married life. Carol briefly worked as an independent franchise holder for Caring Transitions, Inc., an estate management company for seniors, for the Peninsula Agency on Aging, and, later, she occasionally also worked part-time at the Williamsburg Antique Mall. She was a long-time corporate member and director of the Williamsburg Scottish Festival and was honored by the St. Andrew's Society of Williamsburg with its "Scot of the Year" Award, in 2005. She was continually active in the life and ministries of her church, singing in the church choir for over 35 years. She also sang in annual Messiah performances staged by the church for over 20 years. Carol was active in the UMW, served on the Church Council and on several committees, was a past Co-Chair of the Sisters-in-Faith Circle, served as moderator of the UMW Book Club, and volunteered many years with Williamsburg Faith-in-Action, to help seniors with errands. In addition to her devoted and grieving husband, Kent, she is survived by a large and loving family who are already missing her loving presence, including a sister and brother-in-law, Gloria Colvin (Jesse) of Tallahassee, FL; two aunts and an uncle, Patricia Swails of Lakeland FL, Ann Payne of Sandy Springs, GA, and Bruce Carlton of Alpharetta, GA; her mother-in-law, Shirley Brinkley of Chesapeake, VA; several brothers and sisters-in-law, Paul Meers (Stacey Fox) of Princeton Jct., NJ, Greg Brinkley of Virginia Beach, VA, Brad Brinkley (Brenda) of Virginia Beach, VA, Troy Brinkley (Lisa) of Norfolk, VA; numerous nieces and nephews, including Dr. Lauren Singor, DDS (Scott) of Virginia Beach, VA, Emily Colvin of Tallahassee, FL, Kara Colvin of Newport News, VA, Erin Gilbert (Matt) of Virginia Beach, VA, Michael Meers of Seattle, WA, Matthew Meers of Cary, NC, Shaun Brinkley (Marsha) of Gainesville, VA, Ryan Brinkley (Chrissy) of Chesapeake, VA, Michael Brinkley of Virginia Beach, VA, Alexander Brinkley (Delaney) of VA Beach, VA, Grayson Brinkley, Meghan Brinkley, and Landon Brinkley of Norfolk, VA; and numerous cousins, great-nephews, and great-nieces. She was predeceased by both her parents, Rev. Robert and Joyce Payne, a sister, Patricia Meers, and her father-in-law, John Brinkley. Carol was widely known and loved by many for her uniform kindness and thoughtful concern for others, her ready smile and approachability; all of which personal qualities helped her to make friends easily and endeared her to all who had the pleasure to know her. For these reasons, and the warm, caring person that she was (in an increasingly divisive and troubled world), she will be widely and sorely missed. A memorial service of remembrance will be held at a later (post-pandemic) time at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, when it is safe for people to gather again in a joyful worship service to celebrate her life, which is to be followed by the inurnment of her cremains within the church's Memorial Garden. In lieu of flowers, it was Carol's final wish that memorial donations might be made in her name to either Williamsburg Faith-in Action, or to the Williamsburg United Methodist Church Music Program's Special Events fund, which helps to defray the costs of holding special music programs. Our family wishes to express sincere thanks to all our many friends who have provided support to us during Carol's illness and expressed their condolences in recent days and mourn with us over this great loss to our family, to our church, to Colonial Williamsburg, and to the greater Williamsburg community.