ATHENS, Ohio – Carolyn Easley Thayer, born May 2, 1930, in Columbus, Ohio, passed away peacefully after a brief but courageous one-week battle with illness and infection. Carolyn lived a vibrant, remarkably healthy and comfortable life for 96 years, remaining engaged with family and friends until her final few days.
Carolyn was the daughter of M. Kenneth Easley and Mary C. Easley and a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and Interior Design in 1952. She was a proud member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She was married to Frederick C. Thayer Jr., a 1945 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a retired Colonel in the United States Air Force, who preceded her in death in 2006.
A longtime resident of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Carolyn moved to The Plains, Ohio, in 2023 with her son, Jeffrey, to be closer to her daughter, Sarah, and son-in-law, Paul Schneider, of Athens, Ohio, and her grandson, Jordan Thayer Schneider, of Columbus, Ohio. In her later years, she was especially grateful for the steadfast care, companionship, and devotion Jeffrey provided, allowing her to remain surrounded by comfort, dignity, and family.
Above all else, Carolyn’s greatest pride and joy was her family. A devoted mother, grandmother, and friend, she expressed her love through her sincere nature and the warm, welcoming home she created wherever she lived. An extraordinary homemaker, she was a gifted cook known for her cherished signature dishes and a talented seamstress and expert knitter who created remarkably crafted keepsakes for family and friends. Her backyard gardening through the years provided her enjoyment on summer afternoons on her beloved patio surrounded by the flowers she lovingly tended. She delighted in life’s simple pleasures: a glass of wine at weekly family dinners, a lemon drop cocktail at happy hour, and especially sweets. She often joked that cotton candy should be its own food group, preferred more frosting than cake, and never met a desert she didn’t enjoy.
Figure skating became a lifelong passion after Carolyn took up the sport as an adult while living in Denver, Colorado. She later helped champion the creation of the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center, which opened in 1977, directed its summer figure skating school for many years, and served on the steering committee for the 1983 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in Pittsburgh. Equally important were the lifelong friendships she formed through the skating community, many of which she maintained for decades. Watching national, world and Olympic championships were a consistent point of enjoyment.
Southeast Ohio held a special place in Carolyn’s heart. Growing up in Columbus, she developed a lifelong appreciation for the region’s rolling hills, small towns, and natural beauty. Her move to The Plains in her later years felt like a homecoming, allowing her to reconnect with a part of Ohio she had long loved while enjoying precious time with family. Occasional trips to her childhood home in Clintonville (Columbus) and attending church service at North Broadway United Methodist Church where she was married in 1952 gave even more joy to her life in Athens, OH.
Carolyn will be remembered for her kindness, creativity, hospitality, and unwavering devotion to family. After 96 years well lived, she leaves enduring memories, and a lasting example of grace, generosity, and style.
Arrangements will be held privately by the family. Carolyn will be interred with immediate and extended family in Danville, Indiana.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Carolyn’s memory to the United States Figure Skating Association https://give.usfigureskating.org/Fund or directly to the Mount Lebanon Figure Skating Club (via check only) to 101 Alyson Dr, McMurray, PA 15317.
Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register at www.jagersfunerlhome.com.