Virginia Carson (Lewis)

Mrs. Virginia Lewis Carson, a distinguished Delaware educator and community icon, passed away on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at her home after a brief illness. She was 91 years old. She and her husband, the late Charles C. Carson, Sr., and their children, moved to Dover in 1970. She was a native of Montgomery, Alabama, and the daughter of the late Riley and Rosa Kennedy Lewis. Mrs. Carson was a role model, mentor, and surrogate mother to countless students, while she taught in the Capital School District, at both Central Middle School and William Henry Middle School, in Dover, before retiring. Those were consistent character traits she had previously exhibited while teaching at Alexander City in Alexander, Alabama, and Hillsdale High School and Dawes Elementary School, both in Mobile, Alabama. Mrs. Carson also taught at Wurtsmith Elementary School of the Philippine Islands (Clark Air Force Base). She was admired for her untiring commitment for student success and her effective teaching style. She credited her mother for imbuing in her the attributes of wisdom, love, compassion and generosity that were sustained throughout her adult life. Virginia and Charles C. Carson, Sr. met in Montgomery, Alabama, as teenagers, and they later married. The idyllic union lasted 52 years, until Carson’s death in 2002. They became the parents of five children and emerged as one of the prominent families in Dover; she an innovative and creative educator and he a nationally recognized United States Air Force Mortician-Port Mortuary Officer. Mr. Carson was honored with the naming of the Charles C. Carson, Sr., Center Mortuary Affairs at Dover Air Force Base. As responsible citizens, Charles and Virginia allowed their home to be used as a trusty venue for the planning of civic events and discussions on improving the human conditions in Dover and surrounding communities. Mrs. Carson’s community engagement had unlimited boundaries. She was an early crusader for Negro History Month, later renamed Black History Month, being among one of the first educators who advocated and insisted that African American History become a major component in school curricula. She wrote and produced “Black History Anthology” and “What’s Making the Dream Come True.” Mrs. Carson was also a tremendous supporter of Delaware State University and participated in many of its events on campus over the years. She was annually involved in the planning of the University’s Margaret Oliver First Lady’s Tea, serving as its co-chair for three years and ultimately being named in 2018 as the event’s “Co-Chair Emeritus.” Virginia Carson was a member of the Epsilon Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the organizer and member of the Dover (Delaware) Chapter of The Links, Inc. She was especially pleased to have held membership in the Dover Officers’ Spouses’ Club, Friends of the Fallen, the Christian Women’s Club, NAACP and the National Education Association. Her invaluable support of these organizations earned her various recognitions as well as a citation from former Delaware Governor, Michael N. Castle. Mrs. Carson graduated from Alabama State University and did post-graduate studies at the University of Santo Thomas at Clark Air Force Base. She had many interests, but her true passions were arranging flowers, collecting tea pots, sewing and sponsoring entertaining events. She was also highly sought after as a wedding coordinator. Virginia is survived by four children and two sons-in-law: Alice Rose Carson Tisdale (Dr. Henry N. Tisdale), North Charleston, SC, Sylvia Louise Carson (Adrian Allen), Wilmington, DE; Jacqueline Diaese Graves, Dover, DE and Reginald DeWade Carson, Atlanta, GA. In addition to her husband and parents, her son, Charles C. Carson, III and her son-in-law, Major Morton Robert Graves II, (USAF) preceded her in death. She was the grandmother of four: Dr. Danica Camille Tisdale Fisher (Dr. Damany M. Fisher), Sacramento, CA; Brandon Keith Tisdale, Salisbury, MD, Phoenix Denise White, Dover, DE and Nikolas Coltrane Carson, Atlanta, GA; loving great-grandmother of two, Asa Toure Fisher and Anansa Theodora Fisher, both of Sacramento, CA. In addition, she was the aunt of George and Celia Hill of Clayton, NC and Raymond Robinson of Newport News, VA; cousin to, Dr. Janniece Rosemari Lucas Brown of Mt. Meig, AL, Sandra Lucy, Kathleen and BJ Jones, Herman Richards and Eve By-Ford and all of the cousin’s children in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and the Washington DC areas; adopted mother of “son and daughter”, Robert and Bonnie Rowe of Dover, DE; and beloved Divas of Dover, DE, along with a host of relatives and friends.

Virginia Carson (Lewis)

June 10, 1928 - September 3, 2019