Carolyn lived a glorious life of adventure and much love. Carolyn was born in McDonough, Ga. Her mother, Margaret Scott Brown, was a talented artist, mother of six, a gardener, a talented seamstress and still managed to put three hot meals on the table every day. Her neighbors always talked about her beautiful singing voice used while gardening and at church. Her father, Henry Grady Woodward, helped bring the first electrical power to McDonough and then spent the rest of his life working for the Georgia Power Co. Home was lively and always fun with three boys and three girls and a granddaddy who took them fishing. When Carolyn was in seventh grade, the family moved to Jonesboro, which she considered home for the rest of her life.

Carolyn's brother, Henry, was best friends with Gene Adamson. Somehow, Gene won the heart of the beautiful Carolyn Woodward, and their engagement was announced on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Gene had already enlisted and was slated to be on the first troop ship out of New York for the Pacific Theater, so Carolyn, her sister, Taluna, Gene's sister, Fay, Gene's daddy, Lamar, and a friend, piled into the Lincoln Zepher and took off for Gene's camp at Baton Rouge, La., so they could be married. They lived together one month before Gene shipped out. Carolyn returned to Jonesboro and got a job at Rich's in Atlanta as a personal shopper. In 1944, Cpt. O.E. Adamson returned to Eglen Field, Fla. There, Carol Jean was born in 1945. Gene returned to active duty in the Army and was stationed at Fort McPherson when Susan was born in 1948.

The family lived at Fort Meade, Md.; Tokyo and Yokohama in Japan; Fort Jackson, S.C.; Redstone Arsenal, Ala.; Taipei, Taiwan; and Springfield, Va., when Gene worked at the Pentagon and after retirement at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Army life made the family a very close unit. Even though the family always spent time in Jonesboro, home was wherever they lived. Army friends are family, too, and Carolyn and Gene were blessed with lifelong friends. Theirs was a special union of love. Everyone in the family always marveled that Gene and Carolyn could be together all day and still have an hour's bedtime conversation that was the girls' lullaby. The family loved reading, cards, traveling and using every duty station as the jumping off point for exploration. The family never missed much that was interesting. Weekends were for exploration and shopping. Life was never boring, and the family loved every duty station.

Carolyn made beautiful, original warm homes every place they lived. Her house was always perfect; entertaining was a joy for her. She loved to cook, and she was always beautifully dressed. A laughing, happy woman, her complete focus was making life comfortable for her family. Carolyn was a master gardener and loved flower arranging, which she studied in Japan. Her house was always full of flowers.
At retirement, they moved to Ayden because their grandsons, Scott and Chris Claybrook, lived there. They continued to antique and collected clocks and beautiful things for their homes in Ayden and Emerald Isle. Gene died at 85 in 2003. Carolyn lived eight years more.

To remember them with love and gratitude are Carol and John Ferrill of Lenoir; Susan and Walter Claybrook of Ayden, Scott and Janice Claybrook of Advance with Andrew and Katherine; Lt. Cmdr. Chris and Andrea Claybrook USN with Garett, Lily Kate, and Wyatt and all of our wonderful Georgia relatives.

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Good morning. Here is what I found for your optional inclusion in Mrs. Adamson's memorial. I thank you for your time.

- Date of Birth listed:
April 2, 1916

- Place of Death listed:
Ayden, North Carolina (Pitt County)

Kathy (#47029945)