Obituary - Carolyn Elizabeth Trimmer

TRIMMER, Carolyn Elizabeth, age 75, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, after a long illness. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Christian Trimmer and Grace D. Trimmer. She is survived by her devoted family: sister, Brenda Trimmer Savage; brother, William Christian “Chris” Trimmer, Jr.; niece, Rachel Savage Loving and her husband, Joshua Nelson Loving; nephews, Brent Christian Trimmer and William “Cameron” Trimmer; niece, Kirsten Elisabeth Trimmer; great-niece, Hadley Grace Loving; and great-nephew, Sawyer Gray Loving.

Carolyn was a graduate of Douglas Freeman High School and Radford University, and later earned a M.Ed. from Virginia Commonwealth University. Carolyn began her career as a physical education teacher at Tuckahoe Middle School and The Academy at Virginia Randolph. She discovered her passion for working with individuals with disabilities while at Virginia Randolph and went on to work for nearly 30 years at the Greater Richmond ARC (now SOAR365). She was an enthusiastic volunteer for the Special Olympics and advocate for those who needed their voices heard. During her career that spanned five decades, she touched the lives of many children, adult clients and co-workers.

Carolyn was a two-time cancer survivor and dedicated much of her free time to fundraising for the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation and its Women’s Memorial Golf Tournament. She was instrumental in the program’s success. Friends who owned businesses were so generous to this organization in honor of Carolyn’s personal history and survival from breast cancer. Carolyn cherished spending time with her family on the water, particularly at the Outer Banks and her family’s river home. She loved bird watching, cheering on the Redskins and Tarheels, decorating for the holidays and collecting rare items. Carolyn was an avid reader and never went anywhere without a book. Carolyn, or “Trim” as she was often called, had numerous life-long friends who where very special to her, and she enjoyed many beach trips, fishing tournaments, brunches and Christmas parties celebrating with them. She never missed an opportunity for cheer­ or leading the “Green Alligator” song on St. Patrick’s Day.

The family would like to thank Our Lady of Hope for four years of compassionate care since Carolyn began needing services after suffering complications from cancer treatment. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation (vbcf.org). A celebration of Carolyn's life will be held on Sunday, August 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at O'Toole's Restaurant on Forest Hill Avenue.