N. Carolyn Stotts, 100, of Webster Groves, Missouri, passed away peacefully at her home on March 14, 2026. Carolyn was born in Ava, Missouri, the oldest of five children. She moved with her family to Chehalis, Washington, at the age of 12. Carolyn attended the College of Puget Sound, where she met her first husband. She went on to complete her degree in education at Chico State and became a devoted elementary school teacher.
Carolyn had a great love of travel, moving up and down the West Coast with her young family, and spent several years in the Philippines and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. She moved to Buckhannon, West Virginia, in 1976 with her new husband, Herb Stotts, where they were active in many local groups including United Methodist Women, First United Methodist Church, and the Rotary Club. Carolyn taught in Upshur County schools and eventually earned her master’s in teaching from West Virginia Wesleyan College. After retirement, she regularly traveled to Germany in the summers and around the country seeing friends and family. The 25 years she spent in West Virginia was the longest she ever lived in one place.
One of Carolyn’s most lasting contributions was her instrumental role in helping establish Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County in Buckhannon, West Virginia. She became a teacher trainer and traveled the state helping train tutors to teach reading and establish local chapters of Literacy Volunteers of America.
Carolyn came to St. Louis in 2003 to be closer to family and immediately got involved with the community. She served on the board of the Epworth Children’s Home Women’s Auxiliary, was involved in her local PEO chapter, and was active for many years at Webster Hills United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her husbands, John Berger and Herb Stotts; three of her siblings, Howard Hitchcock, Frances Tweedt, and Kathleen (Howard) Thomas; and her daughter, Martha (Bill) Hollister.
She is survived by her sister, Pauline (Lyle) Williams; six children, Mary (Stan) Langham, Mike (Peggy) Stotts, Keith (Laura) Berger, Suzanne (Phil) Tipton, Becky Hughes, and Ted (Christy) Berger; 13 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial visitation will be held at Bopp Chapel, Kirkwood, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to come and celebrate and remember a life well lived.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County, PO Box 492, Buckhannon, WV 26201; First United Methodist Church of Buckhannon, 52 S Florida St, Buckhannon, WV 26201; or Webster Hills United Methodist Church, 698 W Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119.
