Mary Rachel Carr

Mary Rachel (Wood) Carr of Lowell, Ohio passed away peacefully on August 21, 2023 at Marietta Memorial Hospital, with her loving husband of 54 years by her side.

She was born on March 9, 1944 in Fayetteville, WV, the beloved only child of Kenneth and Jenivene Wood.  She graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1962 where she was Valedictorian, National Merit Semifinalist, and voted “Most Likely to Succeed.”  She received a B.A. with honors and an M.A. in French and Spanish from West Virginia University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to teach French & Spanish at Midland Lutheran College in Nebraska.

In 1969 she married her beloved husband, Stephen Carr. She taught GED classes while Stephen served in the U.S. army in Germany and traveled extensively across Europe. After moving to Marietta, she worked in multiple roles in the family concrete business and was an amazing mother to two forever grateful daughters.

Mary Rachel was active in the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and served as a board member of the Betsey Mills Club. She was a Biblical scholar and member of First Presbyterian Church for nearly 50 years, serving as Sunday school teacher, ordained elder and chair of pastor nominating committees.

Her hobbies included genealogical research, sewing, crafting and reading, and she was an accomplished ballroom dancer.  She was a true scholar – a lifelong learner with insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge.  She was a wife, mother and grandmother (Grammie) to a family that loved her fiercely and will miss her kindness, generosity, strength, love, intelligence and quick wit.

She is survived by her husband Stephen, daughters Michelle Carr Kopp and Jenn Carr Floodstrom (Cass) and three grandchildren: Amanda and Rachel Kopp and Eric Floodstrom. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Strecker Cancer Center, Marietta Memorial Hospital and MMH Hospice for their excellent and compassionate care.

Visitation will be at Cawley and Peoples Funeral Home in Marietta on Thursday, August 24 from 2-4pm and 6-8pm.  Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 25 at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta at 2:00pm, with burial to follow at Mound Cemetery.  Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Cawley & Peoples Funeral Home is honored to serve the Carr family and offers online condolences and many resources by visiting www.cawleyandpeoples.com or by following their Facebook page.