Carolyn Buck

This tribute page has been created to share our memories of Dr. Carolyn Buck. Dr. Carolyn Elizabeth Burrell Buck passed away peacefully at home on her 73rd birthday following a two-year battle with stage four uterine cancer. Dr. Buck is survived by her two children, Patricia Coan and Ade Buck, her son-in-love, Bartholomew Coan, her grandson, Alexzander Buck, her sisters, Gwendolyn Bryant, Annetta Burrell, and Valerie Burrell, her nieces Felicia Burrell, April Burrell and Joi Bryant, her great-nieces Zanabrea Burrell, Aniyah Bryant and Leilani Bryant, and great-nephew Zacharia Burrell. Her parents Rumiller Burrell and Ola Mae Burrell and her brother Reuben Burrell pre-deceased her. Dr. Buck was born on October 12, 1948 in Benham, Kentucky. She was the eldest of five children. Dr. Buck earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bennett College, master’s degree in counseling from North Carolina A&T State University, and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Claremont Graduate University. She did further study at San Diego State University in Multicultural Education and completed a certificate from Fielding Graduate University in Evidence-Based Coaching. Dr. Buck was proud Bennett Belle and a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. After her cancer diagnosis, Dr. Buck undertook aggressive treatment and went on to sell her long-time home in San Diego and purchase her dream home in North Carolina. One of her greatest joys after treatment was being able to witness and participate in her daughter’s 2020 wedding and to return to the hiking trails with her lifelong friends, The Centipedes. Even among the darkness, “it never hurts to keep looking for sunshine”. Her last days were spent in the bosom of friends and family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Dr. Buck's memory and life’s passion by donating to Bennett College, Dr. Buck's alma mater, a private historically black liberal arts college for women in Greensboro, North Carolina.