Carolyn Gilson Reeves

Carolyn Gilson Reeves passed away peacefully at home in Pine Bush, NY, on March 26, 2024. She was born on March 11,1941 to Mary and Waldo Reeves in New London, CT. Carolyn spent her early years in New London, CT, near Long Island Sound, where she sometimes accompanied her father on early morning lobstering expeditions, and her resulting love of the sea remained with her throughout her life. She attended Southern Connecticut State University, where she met and fell in love with a fellow student, Thomas Gilson. After graduation, life’s paths separated the two, and it would be years later before they happened upon each other again, married, raised their son, Ethan, and continued through life in a loving partnership. Carolyn began her career teaching young children, while at the same time becoming involved with the civil rights and justice issues of the day, concerns which eventually led her to leave teaching to become co-director of Dixwell Legal Rights Association in New Haven, CT. Her interest in fostering the well-being of others only grew at this time, until it became clear to her that graduate school was in order. She attended the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, where she earned an MSW degree in clinical social work and found new and immensely gratifying pathways which brought new challenges and great satisfaction. After moving to northern Vermont, Carolyn worked as a psychotherapist in a counseling agency, and her success in the field was such that she was recruited to teach classes at Lyndon State University nearby. Over time, she became a full professor at Lyndon , beloved by students and the recipient of many honors, including the granting of emeritus status. Upon retirement, she and Thomas moved permanently to their home in Pine Bush, NY, where she continued to see clients in her psychotherapy practice until just prior to her final illness. Carolyn was a person who felt deeply and who had an exceptional ability to connect with others and help them move forward in their lives. She was a good listener, and she could be counted upon to be honest, fair and caring. Although she had the capacity to consider the serious sides of life, she also had a keen sense of humor and an appreciation of life’s challenges and contradictions. Art and music played an important part in her life, as reflected in the beautiful environment she and Thomas created in their home. Her musical tastes ranged from opera to jazz, and from her earliest days to her later years she loved to dance. In addition to the joy brought to her life by her family and friends, she felt a strong connection to the natural world, as evidenced by her garden, which was a place of beauty and peacefulness, and her deep enjoyment of wild places. Carolyn is survived by her husband, Thomas Gilson, and her son, Ethan Gilson of Enosburg, VT, as well as by her brother-in-law, William Gilson of Kendal, England, and sister-in-law Dr. Elizabeth Reeves of CA. She was predeceased by her brother, Robert Reeves. At this time services for Carolyn will be private.

Carolyn Gilson Reeves

February 11, 1941 - March 27, 2024