October 9, 1926 – August 11, 2026

Carol Marie Guinn, Nana for those lucky enough to call her that, died peacefully Tuesday evening, August 11. She was born October 9, 1926, in Grass Valley, to Harold J. and Nellie Thomas George. Baptized as an infant at the Methodist Church, she remained most of her life in the town where she was raised, attending local primary schools and graduating from Grass Valley High School in 1943.

In 1947 she graduated from the College of the Pacific in Stockton with a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech and California Teaching Credential. Believing that her vocation was to teach young children, she devoted her life to that calling. From 1947 to 1986 she taught for the Grass Valley School District, taking a leave of absence in 1974 to spend a year teaching for The American Cooperative School in La Paz, Bolivia. This was just one of many adventures: traveling as a young girl across the country by car to see the 1939 World Exposition in New York, weathering a typhoon off the coast of Japan, riding a camel to view the pyramids at Gaza, exploring England in narrow boats, and simply admiring her favorite color Tahoe Turquoise at The Lake.

She read voraciously, painted in oils and watercolors, wrote poetry, played the flute, and worked with clay and textiles. In her later years, she most enjoyed taking car rides, watching birds, and playing Scrabble with her family.

A steadfast Christian Faith was the cornerstone of Carol’s life. She loved God, took delight in His creation, and treated every person as His singular and beloved child.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Harold T. George and sister-in-law Ruth; sons-in-law Todd Moore, Brian Dowling, and Phillip Smith. She is survived by her daughters, Catherine Dowling, Cheryl Smith, Cynthia (Ken) Ward, and Carla Moore; eight grandchildren; twenty-three great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; and numerous nieces and nephews – a legacy as full as the life she lived.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital