Carolyn Widener

Carolyn Widener, in an act long thought impossible by those who loved and knew her, passed away on Monday, September 29th, 2025, at the age of 82. Carolyn was a truly one-of-a-kind human being. She was hard as nails. Funny with a razor-sharp wit. Delighted by chaos but disparaging of nonsense. Here’s a few facts about Carolyn:

She was born on February 10, 1943 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. After graduating high school, Carolyn began working at NASA at the same time as the first American astronauts in space, the Mercury 7. She was a secretary for all the astronauts, but Guss Grissom was her favorite. Childhood neighborhood kids referred to her as Muscles McGurk—assumedly for her toughness and strength, but also because she was so cool she needed a nickname like Muscles McGurk. She knew, and was deeply unimpressed by, Janis Joplin. She made the best hotdogs her grandchildren had or ever will have in their lives. She loved animals and routinely rescued cats and dogs, and she loved her daughter enough that she also raised horses. She enjoyed the music of Jeff Buckley and the writing of Stephen King. She had incredibly beautiful handwriting. She also wrote letters of complaint so lovely and funny that her letter to the airline Lufthansa was read out loud at a board meeting. She loved to travel. She lived in and was married in Germany and lived in the Philippines. She instilled that same love of travel in her family, taking her children and grandchildren across the globe to places like Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Carolyn Widener summed up in a story: When she lived on a US military base during the Vietnam war, her husband Tom was deployed and she was left raising two children alone. The difficulty of raising two children solo taking precedence, her lawn suffered and she received a citation for her trouble. Carolyn wrote back: “If you want my darn lawn cut, send my husband home.” Someone was quietly and immediately sent to cut the lawn.

Carolyn was a nurse, a grandmother, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend—but most of all, she was unequivocally, unapologetically Carolyn, wholly and uniquely herself, and she lived her life on her own terms until she couldn’t. She will be remembered for her indomitable spirit, even in the face of her yearslong battle with Parkinson’s that ultimately took her from those who loved and knew her.

She is survived by her beloved husband of 63 years Tom, her two children Cindy and Jeff, daughter-in-law DeeDee, brother Dick, her five grandchildren: Cameron, Ashley, Elizabeth, Catherine, and William, her grandson-in-law Tyler, and her three great grandchildren: Miles, Parker, and Blakely. She is pre-deceased by her son-in-law Miles, her parents Joseph and Mildred Morrison, and her siblings Josie, Regis, Ginny, Fred and Donald. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at a later date, with details forthcoming.

In Carolyn’s honor, eat a good hot dog, write an eloquent complaint, travel to somewhere you’ve never been before, and make sure to enjoy life to the fullest.

Manry-Jordan-Hodges is in charge of arrangements.