Carolyn Gifford Seymour

She was born May 11, 1939, in Rochester, N.Y., the daughter of George and Catherine Gifford.

Carolyn was valedictorian of her Gorham Central School class, graduated summa cum laude from Houghton College, and earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After serving as mayor of Jamestown, N.Y., in 1992-93, she was execu-tive director of Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation (CHRIC), securing millions for lead paint abatement, housing and job programs for the county, retiring in 2010. Her last community work was volunteering for the 2010 census.

Prior to those experi-ences, Carolyn was the owner and operator of The Bookshop in downtown Jamestown and Warren, Pa., and the family editor at the Jamestown Post-Jour-nal.

Her earliest work includ-ed teaching high school in Barneveld, Wis., being as-sistant professor of linguis-tics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and founding the East Cleve-land Citizen weekly news-paper.

Moving to New York in 1972, she was research as-sistant for Chautauqua Op-portunities, Inc., assistant to Jamestown Mayor Stan Lundine, and later housing and economic development coordinator for Southern Tier West Regional Plan-ning and Development Board.

Carolyn was an officer and/or board member of the New York State Rural Housing Coalition, Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education, Cas-sadaga Job Corps Com-munity Relations Council, Chautauqua County Home-less Coalition, Downtown Alive Committee, James-town Housing Partnership, Catherine Harris Associa-tion, United Way of South-ern Chautauqua County, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of James-town, Unitarian-Universal-ists for a Just Economic Community National Board, Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce, Jamestown YWCA, James-town Community College, Empire State College Buf-falo Region Advisory Board, Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Im-provement Corporation (CHRIC), Chautauqua County Planning Board, and Jamestown Girls Club.

She was also a member of the American Booksell-ers Association, Linguistic Society of America, James-town Zonta Club, Chautau-qua County Women’s Polit-ical Caucus, American As-sociation of University Women, and League of Women Voters.

Carolyn’s post-graduate studies included Neigh-borhood Reinvestment Training Institute courses, NeighborWorks America Advanced Practitioner Pro-gram at Harvard University, and New York State Department of State Public Administration Internship Program at Rensselaer Po-lytechnic Institute.

Carolyn’s recognitions include Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Im-provement Corporation Lifetime Achievement Award, Jamestown YWCA Woman of Achievement Award, Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, New York State Senate Woman of Distinction, and National Science Foundation Fellow.

Carolyn is survived by her son, Richard Seymour and his significant other, Olga Khazan of Fairfax, Va.; her sister, Gladys, and husband, Alvin Schuster, of Buffalo; and her brother, Roy and wife, Judy Gifford of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister, Martha Harris; and her former hus-band and musical partner, Doug Seymour.

Visitors are welcome to a safe socially distanced cal-ling hours on Friday, Aug, 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Powers, Present & Sixbey Funeral Home Inc., 316 E. Fifth St., Jamestown, N.Y. Burial will be in Mina Cemetery, Mina, N.Y.

A celebration of her life is tentatively scheduled for May 2021 when, ideally, we won’t be ruled by a virus.

To send condolences to Carolyn’s family, visit www.presentsixbeyfuneral. com.

One may donate to the Dementia Society, the American Cancer Society, or in lieu of donations, just send in your 2020 census, vote, and enjoy the small things in life.