Carolyn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in November 1942 as the second child to Kenneth and Esther Gibson (neé Wieland).
She attended Drexel University and earned her degree in Biological Sciences. Drexel was where she met her beloved husband John, they were married in August 1964 while Carolyn was still in school. Her biology degree was step one to a fantastic bio-computer career.
Upon graduation she worked for eight years at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. She moved to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she began on the ground floor of computing. She worked for five of the 27 NIH institutes (Eye, Aging, Library of Medicine, Research Grants and Arthritis) from 1974 until 1997.
During her final 10 years at NIH, she served as the Chief of the Scientific Information and Data System at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. In 1996, she was selected as one of the Top 100 Woman in Computing in the United States by Business Week. Carolyn retired after 31 years in the federal government.
Volunteering in her community was also important to Carolyn. She volunteered for 22 years at the National Zoo and 12 years at the Hillwood Mansion in Washington D.C. She was the President of the DC chapter of People to People International. She continued using her computer skills by being the webmaster and newsletter editor for the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
Carolyn and John loved to travel and had many trips to many wonderful places around the world. They spent much time in their RV (owning 4 different RVs over 50 years), and took the RV to Canada, Mexico, and all over the United States. John was able to maximize every hour of Carolyn’s time off to make sure they had plenty of time to travel.
Carolyn and John moved to the Patriots Colony retirement community in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2017. Carolyn continued to use her leadership skills by managing the bocce ball and putt-putt tournaments. She also began serving in 2025 as Patriots Colony resident’s association president and had to resign after 5 months for health reasons.
Carolyn passed away on January 1, 2026. Amyloidosis of the heart was the problem.
Carolyn is survived by her husband of 62 years, John, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She is preceded in death by her brother, Richard Gibson.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Patriots Colony Grand Hall on January 29, 2026 at 2 p.m.
