Carolyn C. Cootes, 75, of Port Haywood, passed away at her home on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021.

Carolyn was born on Sept. 18, 1946, in Charlottesville, Va. She was the daughter of Edward Lee and Kathleen Clarke Cootes who preceded her in death.

At a young age, Carolyn’s family moved to Strasburg, Va., and she graduated from Strasburg High School. She continued her education at East Carolina University and spent a semester in her junior year studying at The Institute of Technology in Monterrey, Mexico. She received her bachelor’s degree in Library Science and was employed by the Library of Congress cataloging Spanish books.

Congressman J. O. Marsh from her hometown District in Virginia enticed her to leave the Library and work for him in his D.C. office. Subsequently, Carolyn attended Emory University in Atlanta and received her Master’s in Library Science. She returned to the D.C. area and worked in the Fairfax County system.

Carolyn loved to travel and on a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, she met her future husband, George, on a stopover in the Galapagos Islands. They married and resided in the Northern Virginia area until her retirement.

George and Carolyn built a home on the East River and Carolyn enjoyed every moment of her life there. She was passionate about her flower gardens and shrubs, was an avid reader, and enthusiastically traced family genealogy, building the website “Cootes.com.” Her big smile and giggle will be unforgettable for all who knew her.

Carolyn is survived by her beloved husband, George Chung; her sister, Mary Lee (Robert) Eastman of Berlin, Md.; a niece, Laura (Rick) Thornton of Ashland, Va.; a niece, Brenda Wylie of Jackson, Wyo., and a nephew, Thomas Tawney of Berlin, Md. She is also survived by a grand-nephew, Drew Thornton, and a grand-niece, Kathleen Wylie. Faulkner Funeral Homes, Foster-Faulkner Chapel, Mathews, is assisting the family.