Carolyn Kilburn

Elizabeth Carolyn Kilburn, 82, of Rutledge, Georgia, beloved wife, mother, sister, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on February 25 after a three-month struggle with cancer.

Carolyn was born May 31, 1938, in Hiseville, Kentucky, where she spent her childhood until enrolling in Western Kentucky University. She earned a bachelor's degree in home economics education and taught home economics in junior and high schools. Her first teaching job was in Louisville, Kentucky, where she met and married James Kilburn. 

They moved to Utah, where he was stationed in the Army, then relocated to the Atlanta area, where he began a career with the Centers for Disease Control. She earned a master's degree from the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences. She taught in public schools, including Druid Hills High School in DeKalb County. She was a gifted gardener, Southern-style cook, decorator, and sewist. Friends and family were fortunate to receive handmade gifts from her. For many years she was an active member of the American Sewing Guild; she shared her love of sewing with her granddaughter. She enjoyed the outdoors and went on walks in Rutledge and bike rides in the Springfield community, and she was a fan of the Atlanta Falcons.  

Survivors include her husband of 58 years, James, of Rutledge; daughter April Kilburn, son-in-law Chris Moran, and granddaughter Avery Moran, of Gainesville, Florida; sisters Sherry Bryant of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Jennie Cole of Shelbyville, Kentucky, and Gayle Daniels of Versailles, Kentucky; and sister-in-law Ann Bryant, of Sulphur Springs, Texas. She is preceded in death by her brother, Bob Bryant. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be directed to the St. Mary's Foundation (specify ICU on the memo line), 1230 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30606-3791.

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