Born in Lancaster, PA on October 25, 1951, Carolyn was the only child of the late Lancaster County Commissioner Raymond G. and Ruth Gochenaur Herr. She grew up in Willow Street, PA, graduating from Lampeter-Strasburg High School in 1969. She majored in political science at Penn State University, graduating in 1973.
After college, Carolyn moved to Washington, DC to work in the Mobil Oil government relations office. In 1977 she joined the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association as a legislative representative, where she handled issues from taxes and telecommunications to pole attachments. She rose to Legislative Director over a 16-year career at NRECA.
In 1978, Carolyn married Carroll Edwin Watts of Arlington, VA. They had a son, Andrew Herr Watts in 1981.
Carolyn left the co-ops in 1994 for the Clinton Administration where she served as Act-ing Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Department of Energy. Carolyn and her family moved to North Carolina in 1996 when she became Vice President for Corporate Relations for the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation in Raleigh. She retired in 2008 as Senior Vice President, Competitive Strategies. Andrew graduated from N.C. State University and currently lives in Durham.
In 1975 Carolyn joined a newly-founded group of women lobbyists, Women in Government Relations, which supported development of women government relations professionals. She helped grow the group to more than 700 members, serving the WGR board for several years. She received the WGR Distinguished Member Award in 1985 and was elected president in 1986. Her friendship with a close-knit group of former WGR colleagues has continued until today. Carolyn’s legacy includes the many women to whom she provided career guidance and support over the years.
Carolyn served on numerous other charitable and industry boards of directors, including becoming president of the NC 4H Development Fund. She was very active in the Raleigh Moravian Church including committee work and terms on the board of directors. In 2009, NRECA honored Carolyn with the Clyde T. Ellis award, which annually recognizes an individual for outstanding lifetime service to the cooperative program. At the time, NRECA leaders credited Carolyn with leading the legislative charge in 1987 that paved the way for direct broadcast satellite TV in rural areas, including the launch of DIRECTV.
Through all, Carolyn battled the effects of juvenile diabetes that began when she was 10. She endured serious illness at the birth of her son, but recovered to undertake an active career and to be a loving mother and wife. In 1997 she had a kidney-pancreas transplant at Duke University Hospital that gave her a relatively comfortable life until her recent health decline. Through all the years, Carolyn never allowed illness to slow her down or become an excuse. Few could match her zest for life and no one could top her sense of humor.
Carolyn is survived by her husband Carroll and son Andrew. She loved her family of the children of her late step-mother Carolyn Walters Herr, including Jim and Winnie Walters of York, the late Jack and Terri Walters of Lancaster and Jayne and Paul Heckles of Chesterton, MD. She was also close to Carroll’s parents, Rufus and Wilma Watts of Virgilina, VA, his sister and brother-in-law, Sandra and Peter Vanderbeek of Raleigh and brother and sister-in-law, Raymond and Lynn Robillard Watts of Mt Airy MD.
A memorial service will be held at Raleigh Moravian Church on Ridge Road on Saturday, January 28 at 1 pm. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Carolyn’s name to Raleigh Moravian Church, 1816 Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607 or the American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852. Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.
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