08/29/2026
Mary Carolyn Beasley Gilbert, a devoted member of our community
whose life touched many, passed away on August 8, 2026, at the age of 90.
She was born June 3, 1936, in Webster Groves, MO, a suburb of St.
Louis, where she graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1954.
She graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, in 1958,
where she served as president of her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, and of the
Association of Women Students.
On July 12, 1958, Carolyn married Charles Andrew “Chuck” Gilbert,
MD. They lived in Chicago, Cincinnati, and San Antonio before moving
to Atlanta in 1966. They lived for a short time in a church-related family
commune in Atlanta (18 adults and 18 children).
Carolyn began her teaching career in Forest Park, IL, and later worked for
The City Schools of Decatur from 1972 until her retirement in 1999. She
served as an elementary school teacher, reading specialist, and a
mathematics and science coordinator. She earned her M.Ed. and Diploma
in Advanced Study of Teaching (D.A.S.T.) from Emory University, and
she and Chuck were among the founding parents of The Paideia School
in 1972. She was named Georgia Mother of the Year in 1993 by the
American Mothers Association, Georgia State Chapter.
A lifelong Methodist, Carolyn was an active member of Glenn Memorial
United Methodist Church, serving as a lay minister, leading the prayer
shawl ministry, participating as an annual conference delegate, and
chairing other committees. She supported organizations that focused on
women’s and LGBTQ rights as well.
Carolyn dearly loved her annual family gatherings at their homestead on
Lake Vermilion, in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, a
tradition since 1941.
She is survived by her children, Dr. Kenneth Andrew Gilbert, Claire
(Brian) Kluever, and Charles James Gilbert; her grandchildren, Allie
Gilbert, Roseanna Gilbert, Charles Gilbert, Jr., Ryan (Chelsea) Kluever,
Brett Kluever, Mary Emma Kluever, Matthew Capek; her great-grandson,
Aiden Kluever, and her brother Louis (Nancy) Beasley.
