Laura Thomson McCarty

1966 - 2025

Laura Thomson McCarty (58) experienced a massive heart attack and passed away in her home in Decatur, GA. She was preceded in death by her parents, Rev. Henry and Mae Thomson, and her husband, Phillip McCarty. Laura was a 1988 Graduate of Wofford College and received her Masters in Comparative Literature from University of Georgia.

Prior to her retirement in 2024, she served as President of the Georgia Humanities Council, where she worked throughout her 30 year career. She was instrumental in building a strong National History Day Program, as well as supporting many successful humanities projects and initiatives with people across the state of Georgia. She nurtured relationships with many of the people she met through her work, offering support and encouragement. She also published a biography of Coretta Scott King in 2009, who she never met but considered to be a hero.

She was also a life-long United Methodist, being part of many churches in SC as part of a ministerial family. Most recently, she was a member of North Decatur United Methodist Church, where she served in many leadership positions.

She is survived by her sisters, Rebecca Blake and Mary Jane Thomson; Brothers and sisters in-law Mike and Sherri McCarty, David McCarty and Marion Barnes; nieces and nephews Mary Grace Blake, Robert Blake, Ted Blake, Kelly Swanton, Hannah Griffin, Abbey Walker; and numerous other loved ones from the Thomson, Blackwell, and McCarty families.

A memorial is planned for February 15 at 10 a.m. at North Decatur United Methodist Church. The service will also be livestreamed on the North Decatur UMC website. Memorials can be made to Georgia Humanities Council, North Decatur United Methodist Church, or other nonprofit organizations of your choice.