Carol Perry

Carol Frances Perry died November 7, 2025, of complications of lung cancer. Carol is survived by her husband, Byron, of Durham, NC; her son Armand of Cary, NC; daughter Dawn of Seattle, WA; and grandsons Carsten and Finn. A graveside service will be held November 16, 2 p.m., at Poplar Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Hiram, GA.

Carol was born April 1945 in Akron, Ohio, the only child of Frances and Curtis Rice. She attended Mary Washington College and Emory University, where she studied biology and chemistry for her Bachelor of Science. She met Byron there in a biology course, where they fell in love going to biology lab and to campus events together. After they were married in 1969, Carol worked in the Clinical Laboratory at Emory, enabling Byron to complete medical school. Before they left Emory, Armand was born. During Byron’s US Air Force service, they were stationed for three years at RAF Alconbury near Huntingdon, England, where Dawn was born.

After returning to Georgia in 1975, Carol became indispensable to her church, First United Methodist Church of Marietta. She served as Chair of the Altar Guild, and, when she saw an unfilled need at the church, founded and operated the church's bookstore for many years. She was an avid student of Israeli history, supporting classes at her church and visiting that country in 1996.

At The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, where her children attended, she volunteered in the library for 5 years and served as a band parent for 8 years. Carol also provided care for her mother, father, and uncle during their senior years.

Carol had strong political interests and was an active promoter of environmental policies and progress. Her deep love of oceanic creatures and the beach is reflected in a series of seashore cross stitch pieces she created over the 15 years and many hours she waited for kids in the carpool line. She passed her love of birding on to her husband Byron, who became an equal devotee of ornithology.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Carol’s memory may be directed to The Carter Center (www.cartercenter.org)