Carolyn Winius Toben

1934 - 2025

Carolyn Winius Toben

April 16, 1934 - November 7, 2025

Carolyn Winius Toben, 91, of Whitsett, N.C., passed away peacefully on November 7, 2025. Carolyn was an educator, a writer, a beloved mother and grandmother, and an advocate for women and the natural world.

Born Mary Carolyn Winius on April 16, 1934, in Wichita, Kansas, Carolyn grew up in a traditional midwestern family. She was a precocious child who loved people and was intellectually curious. She fell in love with a U.S. Navy lieutenant, Boyd Toben, and left Duke University at age 19 to marry. Carolyn and Boyd had three sons, Steve, Tim, and Scott. The family moved to Greensboro in 1966, and purchased land in Whitsett that became Timberlake Farm.

Carolyn returned to school at UNC-G in 1972, earning her BA in Humanities, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1972, and her M.Ed. in 1978. She did post-graduate studies at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland.

An educator beloved by her students, Carolyn founded and co-directed the "School Within a School (SWS)" at Dudley High School from 1972-1975. The SWS provided opportunities in the arts and humanities to inner city high school students, many of whom kept in touch with her for years, to her great delight. From 1975-1978, Carolyn served as teacher and Middle School Director at New Garden Friends School.

Carolyn found refuge in the Quaker tradition. She and her husband Boyd, a Christian Scientist, chose not to impose either path on their children. Instead, they introduced them to both spiritual practices and set aside two Sundays each month for family services, where they studied diverse religious traditions and historical figures, such as Albert Schweitzer, Albert Einstein, and Rachel Carson.

Beginning in 1978 and for the next 20 years, Carolyn provided teacher training and professional development to schools and organizations, including Guilford College, Atlantic Christian College, the N.C. Outward Bound School, Duke University, and Wake Forest University. She became a Center Associate for the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) and the Center for the Advancement of Renewal for Educators (CARE) in San Francisco, Calif.

Her three sons married, and Carolyn finally got her first "daughters," whom she lovingly referred to as "daughters-in-love," rather than "daughters-in-law." Her keen mind and passion for justice compelled her to stand up for women all her life. She doted over her "daughters" and granddaughters, supporting in every way their education and independence.

When her husband Boyd died of cancer in 1999, Carolyn turned to her dear friend and mentor, the renowned Catholic priest and Eco-theologian, Thomas Berry, whom Carolyn had known for two decades. Together, they imagined a new work at Timberlake Farm, which was renamed "Timberlake Earth Sanctuary." Inspired by Berry's famous book The Dream of the Earth, Carolyn launched the Center for Education, Imagination, and the Natural World with Peggy Whalen-Levitt as co-director in 2002. The Center introduced thousands of school children to nature with the goal of nurturing their love for the natural world, because, Carolyn proclaimed, "we protect what we love."

Meanwhile, love began to blossom for Carolyn herself in 2002. She met the public television producer Scott Davis, and soon they became companions. Scott was devoted to Carolyn until her death and encouraged her to publish. In 2012, she published her first of five books, Recovering a Sense of the Sacred: Conversations with Thomas Berry. Timberlake Earth Sanctuary became a hub for "sacred ceremony," including rite-of-passage ceremonies for children, weddings, and memorial services. Carolyn was directly involved in every gathering.

Carolyn saw the very best in every person she met. She often quoted her grandmother, who said, "You can see people with vision or with judgment...I choose vision." Carolyn was genuinely curious about that unique talent or story in whoever she met. And she never forgot what she learned. Her family and friends hosted a four-day bonfire vigil at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary during her last days, where people came and shared stories. The common theme was: "No one ever saw me as clearly as Carolyn Toben," and even that "Carolyn saw more in me than I'd ever seen in myself."

Carolyn is survived by her companion Scott Davis; her sons Steve, Tim, and Scott; her daughters-in-law Janice Toben, Megan Toben, and Stacey Toben; and her nine grandchildren, Paul, Graham, Nathan, Daniel, Marley, Thai, Ezra, Lucas, Jenna; and two great-grandchildren, Olivia and Miles.

A memorial celebration and potluck will be held on Saturday, November 29, 2025, from 1 to 4 pm, at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary, 1501 Rock Creek Dairy Road, Whitsett, N.C.