Julia Carolyn Mitchell Elgin

Julia Carolyn Mitchell Elgin, 82, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 26, 2023, at Trinity Oaks in Salisbury, North Carolina. She was born in Wilkesboro, NC on February 4, 1941, to Dr. Gurney T. and Julia Phillips Mitchell. She was the youngest of three daughters. She rejoins her beloved husband Raymond Elgin, her “Ray of Sunshine,” to whom she was married from 1997-2015. Carolyn was a majorette in high school in Wilkes County, and also at UNC-Chapel Hill where she studied Nursing. She was named Miss Yackety Yak and Miss Modern Venus during her time at Chapel Hill, but her true beauty was on the inside. She was cheerful, selfless, and tireless and she devoted her life to serving others through her work, church involvement, dedication to friends and family, and through her kind spirit shared with all who knew her. She met and married Zeb M. Harry during college. After graduating from University of North Carolina School of Nursing in 1962, she worked for several years in Public Health and for a Head Start program for underprivileged children and families. She raised her sons Philip and Kevin Harry on a farm in Rixeyville, VA. She was an active member in her church community at Culpeper United Methodist Church for over 35 years until relocating back to North Carolina in 2016. She enjoyed gardening, skiing, scrapbooking, and traveling, especially to Costa Rica where she and Ray had a second home for several years. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Ray, and her sisters Frances Foster of Yadkinville, NC and Elizabeth “Betsy” Dekirmenjian of Knoxville, TN. She is survived by her sons Philip (Sondra) of Asheville, NC and Kevin (Laurel) of Salisbury, her step-children Carolyn K. Elgin of Rutherfordton, and Robert Elgin (Michelle) of Middleburg, VA, and her beloved grandchildren Nathaniel (Paige), Kirsten, Lila, and Zeb Harry. Her warmth, kindness, and generosity will be greatly missed by all who knew her. A memorial service will be held on July 1 at 10:30 am at First United Methodist Church followed by an interment at Mount Lawn Memorial Park in Wilkesboro at 3 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First United Methodist Church of Salisbury’s Camp Discovery program, 217 S. Church Street, Salisbury, NC 28144 or to a charity of the donor’s choosing. Summersett Funeral Home is serving the Elgin family. Online condolences may be held at www.summersettfuneralhome.com.

Julia Carolyn Mitchell Elgin

February 4, 1941 - May 26, 2023