Date of birth: July 21 1925
Date of death: January 11 2019
CAROLYN BOOTH GREGORY, 93, passed away January 11, 2019 in Beaverton OR. She was born the daughter of Marguerite (Lindsey) Booth and Walter Warren Booth on July 21, 1925 in Atlanta GA. She grew up in Fairfield, CT where her family moved when she was six.
She graduated from Roger Ludlow High School in Fairfield CT, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College in 1947. After college she worked for a year at The Frontier Nursing Service in Wendover, KY, an experience of wilderness adventure and service she valued for the rest of her life. She earned two Master’s degrees from Northwestern University in Evanston IL in Speech and Language Pathology (1952) and Counseling Psychology (1986).
At Northwestern she met and married Hugo H. Gregory, Jr., a fellow speech pathology student from Portland, AR, who was the love of her life. His distinguished career as a professor at Northwestern (1962-1993) combined clinical work, writing, research and teaching. Dr. Hugo Gregory became an international authority on stuttering, and Carolyn shared his passion for treating stuttering and made her own contributions to their joint clinical practice. Their professional partnership led to world travel and lasting friendships. They were also known for hospitality, gracious entertaining and Carolyn’s great cooking.
Carolyn and Hugo retired to Merrimac WI in 1997, and after Hugo’s death in 2004, Carolyn moved to nearby Baraboo where she lived until 2014. They loved the natural beauty and small town culture they found in Wisconsin and made many friends there. They also loved living close to Carolyn’s niece and nephews and their families who live near Madison.In 2014 she moved to Beaverton OR to live near her daughter.
Carolyn attended Methodist churches for much of her life including Golden Hill Methodist Church in Bridgeport CT, and First United Methodist Churches in Evanston, IL, and Baraboo, WI. To her, however, no religion had all the answers. She was on a lifelong spiritual quest, studied widely across many traditions, and loved to discuss spirituality. She particularly admired Gandhi. Most recently she attended Southminster Presbyterian Church in Beaverton OR.
Carolyn also had a lifelong love of downhill skiing, and in her fifties trained and joined the ski patrol. She and Hugo especially enjoyed local skiing at Devil’s Head in Wisconsin and annual trips to Winter Park Colorado. She last skied in New Mexico at age 89.
Carolyn lived life with great enthusiasm and often remarked that one can choose to have an ordinary life or an extraordinary life, determined by the choices one makes with the opportunities one is given. She chose extraordinary. She was generous and supportive of family and friends, and filled her time with many interests and volunteer activities and had a lifelong love of learning.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband Hugo H. Gregory, and brothers, W. Lindsey Booth and David A. Booth. She is survived by her daughter Kathleen G. Huddleston and husband Scott of Beaverton OR; son Warren B. Gregory and wife Ruth of St. Paul MN; two granddaughters, Karen L. Huddleston of San Mateo CA and Carolyn E. Gregory of Chicago IL; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday March 9 at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 12250 SW Denney Rd, Beaverton OR 97008. Private burial will be in Portland, Arkansas at a later date. In lieu of flowers, her family requests memorials be made to the Frontier Nursing University, 132 FNS Drive, Wendover, KY 41775 or (online at https://frontier.edu/how-to-donate/ ) or to a chari
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Webweaver Judy Kuster
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Last modified January 18, 2020