Carol Brown

March 30, 1934 – December 7, 2021

Carol Canaday Brown, 87, passed away peacefully at her home on December 7, 2021. “Bunny,” as she was known to most, was born on March 30, 1934 in Jacksonville, Florida to parents Nadine (Mueller) and Nick Canaday.

Bunny was the heart and soul of Skyland Camp for Girls, an overnight camp located in Clyde, North Carolina. During her 79 summers at Skyland, first as a camper, then counselor, director, owner, and director emeritus, she touched the lives of many children and their families.  No matter where she went, she was sure to hear “Hi, Bunny!” from a Skyland alumna or former staff member who remembered her strength and grace while being at Skyland.

Bunny first came to Skyland as a 9-year-old camper in 1943. Her two older brothers, Nick and Arthur, had been attending camp in North Carolina, and she eagerly embraced the excitement of new adventures, and the many new friends she found at Skyland.

While growing up in Jacksonville, Bunny attended Bartram School.  Upon graduation, she attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and graduated in 1956. In 1955, she married Timothy Brown and together they moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where their three children were born.  Bunny, Tim and the family moved to Houston when Tim joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the early 1960s. Each year, the Browns would make their summer pilgrimage to North Carolina to make Skyland Camp possible for many campers and counselors from across the United States, and abroad.

Friends and family remember Bunny’s love of tennis. She was quick and accurate at the net and loved scoring points when opponents hit the ball towards her.  She played tournament tennis and could be found at amateur competitions in and around Houston, or playing on Skyland’s famous clay courts.

Later in life, she found her love of horseback riding and enjoyed riding mountain trails with her friends.  She also loved camping in Pisgah Forest, hiking up Chambers Mountain, or tubing down Deep Creek. Bunny was also an avid gardener, both in Houston and in North Carolina, and loved hosting parties and guests at her homes and on Skyland Hill.

Bunny is survived by her younger brother, Arthur and her three children, Murphy, Sherry and Michael, and their spouses, Charlyn, Kay and Tyra.  She also has three grandchildren, Sari, Wesley, and Christopher, and two cats that she and Tim loved, Tallyho and Trossach. She is predeceased by her husband Tim, and older brother Nick Canaday.

Bunny was a pillar of strength and a light for many who were fortunate to know her.  She lived her life true to her favorite message, “Love is reflected in love,” as she gently wrapped the Spirit of Skyland around all those who passed through Skyland’s doorway.  She was an example of the best that we can be, and a true friend, mother, and grandmother to us all.  She will live in our hearts forever.

The immediate family will gather over the upcoming Christmas holiday to remember, celebrate, honor and toast their mother. A celebration of Bunny’s life will be held in June 2022 at her favorite place in the world –Skyland Camp in Clyde, North Carolina.

Memorial contributions can be made to Skyland’s Campership Fund, which is under the umbrella of the American Camp Association (ACA), a 501c3 corporation.  Skyland’s Campership Fund was created with the goal of offering a Skyland experience to any interested girl, regardless of her family’s ability to pay. Bunny believed passionately in the value of a Skyland summer for ALL girls, and she was committed to making that happen during her lifetime.

The family is honoring her wish to be remembered in this way.  Visit SkylandCamp.com/BunnyBrown, or send checks (payable to ACA-Skyland Camp) to Skyland Camp, PO Box 128, Clyde, NC 28721.