Carolyn Lee Paynter

Carolyn was born in Amarillo, Texas on August 23, 1945, to Freda Lee (Hardy) and Chester Carl Paynter and died in Albany on November 16, 2018.

Carolyn attended school in Sutherlin, Oregon and graduated from Sutherlin High School in 1963 as co-salutatorian. She then continued on with her education at the University of Oregon and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and later received a Bachelor’s of Science in Botany from Oregon State University. Carolyn worked in the Botany and Plant Pathology Department at OSU for many years.

In 1989, she accepted a position as a Biological Technician at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis where she worked until 2005. Carolyn was in charge of maintaining the in vitro plant collections and received an award from the National Plant Germplasm Committee for her work. She enjoyed working with plants, and the opportunity to meet and assist visiting scientists from around the world.

Carolyn was an art aficionado, often visiting galleries and collecting many art and nature books. She collected and grew a number of unusual plants. She was also an active bird watcher, traveling around the state to observe them. She could tell you where to find a burrowing owl or a snipe, and could usually tell you what bird you had seen from a verbal description. Carolyn, her sister, and mother often went on trips around Oregon to enjoy nature. We will miss her quick wit and wonderful love for all things nature.

She leaves behind her sister, Margaret Stowe; her brother, Stephen Paynter and partner Ellie Callick, two nieces, Angelique (Gene) Vandercreek, Andrea (Scott) Shaver, one nephew Aaron (Dicy) Pepiot; several grand-nieces; grand-nephews; and her devoted cousin, Jerri Hummel.

A special thank you to Barbara Reed, Jack Pinkerton, and Stephen Correia for their forever friendship to Carolyn.

Memorial donations can be directed to the Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Corvallis Audubon Society, The Neighborhood Naturalist, or The Arts Center in Corvallis.

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