Carolyn Brown Johnson died peacefully on September 25, 2026 at the Mount Vernon Healthcare Center, Alexandria, VA. She was preceded in death by her parents Donald Johnson and Elea Harrelson Johnson, and her younger brother William Emery (Bill) Johnson. Carolyn is survived by her sister Margaret Johnson of Woodbridge (VA), her nephew and daughter-in-law Greg and Noelle Roberts Deola of Burke (VA), and her niece and nephew-in-law Virginia Deola Dore and Jason Andrew Dore of Fairfax (VA).

Carolyn was born in Knoxville, TN, the first of three post-WWII babies of Donald and Elea Harrelson Johnson. After WWII the family moved to Woodbridge, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC, where the Federal Government was hiring. Woodbridge was so sparsely populated they had to go to Alexandria to buy groceries. Like many elementary school children her age having classes in a Quonset Hut at Occoquan Elementary School was normal for Carolyn.

The family took many day trips to the nearby Civil War battlefields that had become national parks, and it sparked a love of history in Carolyn. She researched her family genealogy, and she confirmed that her father had family who fought in the Civil War for New York State and her mother had family who fought in the Civil War for North Carolina. Carolyn did well at Gar-Field High School and graduated in 1965. In addition to genealogy Carolyn’s other hobbies were knitting, crocheting, and rescuing animals.

Carolyn got a Federal position as a Technical Editor at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and worked on training and numerous other technical materials for the Corps of Engineers. She worked at Fort Belvoir for 20 years. Though Carolyn never had children of her own she was a terrific “Aunt C” and close to her nephew and especially to her niece. She also had numerous “fur babies” that she had rescued and loved dearly. Carolyn moved back into the family home and managed the care for her mother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her father who had cancer.

Sadly, Carolyn was diagnosed with Dementia like her mother. Carolyn’s Niece Virginia, who also carries the allele that puts her at risk for Alzheimer’s, is fundraising to honor her grandmother and Aunt Carolyn. Remembrances of Carolyn can be made to support Virginia’s fundraising walk on October 18th via donations to the Alzheimer’s Association at: https://act.Alzheimer's Association /site/TR?px=27434821&fr_id=19512&pg=personal&s_src=nuclavismobile&s_subsrc=Nucl_iosM_FdrInTkTk