Carol Hargrave Skinner Lawson, 94, of Dillwyn, passed into the fullness of the spiritual world on Thursday, November 17, 2016. She was born on November 12, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Charles Wickham Skinner and Ruth Hargrave Skinner.

Carol was mother to six children. For seventy years she helped her children lead lives filled with purpose and love.

With a passion for life, Carol touched the hearts and souls of many individuals. When you were with her, she made you feel special. Her generosity of spirit was contagious.  Filling her house with guests, camaraderie, sparkling conversation, relatives, old friends, new friends, flowers, and delicious meals, she engaged community and family.

Memorable summers in Maine and travel adventures with her beloved brother and sister were times that she cherished. Gardening, flowers, and the appreciation of the countryside were a passion that brought her from Washington, D.C., to Buckingham County in 1985, where she made many more friends.

Carol was passionate about writing, publishing, and the arts. In high school, she wrote librettos for two operettas. She also acted in and directed these productions. During Carol’s high school years, she was a supernumerary in operatic performances of the Cincinnati Symphony.

She attended the University School of Cincinnati and received her MFA in Literature from Bennington College. She served for more than a quarter century on the Board of Directors of the Swedenborg Foundation and held the title Director Emerita. She was a lifelong and third-generation member of the Swedenborgian Church of North America.

Carol loved to work! She was busy with editing and design projects until her final days. Dedicated to the artful use of language, Carol served as Associate Editor of the New-Church Messenger (1955–1964); numerous terms on the New-Church Department of Publications; Editorial Assistant for Harper & Row’s The American Journal of Pathology (1964–1966); Publications Officer, U.S. Public Health Service  (1967–1970); Public Information and Press Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from its inception (1970–1985); Editor-in-Chief of the Swedenborg Foundation’s journal Chrysalis (1984–2013); Art Director, American Birding Association’s Birding (1988–2000); and Art Director of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America’s Needle Arts (2002–2007).

Carol will be missed by her brother, Wickham Skinner; her sister, Perry Martin; her six children, Ann Crittenden, Robert Lawson, Phoebe Loughrey, Susanna Buschmann, Laura Lawson Tucker, and Frank Lawson; her daughters-in law, Marian Lawson and Shelia Geoffrion; sons-in-law, Robert Tucker, Eric Buschmann, and William Loughrey; nine grandchildren and her two cousins, Parlin Meyer and Janet Hargrave. She also leaves behind eight great-grandchildren, and numerous loving nephews, nieces, and friends.

A celebration of Carol’s life will be observed at Brown’s Chapel United Methodist Church, 1711 Gravel Hill Road, Dillwyn, Virginia, at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 25. The church family will serve lunch in Carol’s honor after the service. She will be buried at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her parents and many of her ancestors rest.

The family appreciates all of those who dedicated their care and love to Carol and her homestead these many years. The family requests that Carol’s friends and loved ones find ways to contribute their creativity to their communities.

Condolences can be mailed to the Lawson family at 1745 Gravel Hill Road, Dillwyn, Virginia, 23936.