Carolyn Gould Smoyer, 95, passed away peacefully on October 29th at the inpatient hospice unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest.

Born in Bangor, Pennsylvania, in 1931, Carolyn was the daughter of John Gould, Sr. and Helen Hughes Gould. Her family moved to Emmaus, Pennsylvania when her father opened the John Gould Pharmacy on the Emmaus Triangle in 1939. She graduated from Emmaus High School in 1949 and earned a degree in accounting from Bucknell University in 1953. She began her professional career as an accountant with Lybrand, Ross Brothers & Montgomery in Philadelphia, a predecessor of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She broke the glass ceiling, before it even existed.

In 1955, Carolyn married Thomas Edwin Smoyer, with whom she raised four children. She later served as chief financial officer of the family business, Brey-Krause Manufacturing Company, where she led the transition to its first computerized accounting system during the early days of personal computing.

Carolyn brought enthusiasm and a sense of fun to the many parts of her life and others. She was an avid bridge player and bowler, a Girl Scout leader, a volunteer with the Society of the Arts (SOTA) at the Allentown Art Museum, and a member of Lehigh Country Club. She truly loved plants and purses; she had a very green thumb and way too many purses. Her Kentucky Derby Day parties became a much-loved tradition among friends in both Pennsylvania and South Carolina. She so greatly appreciated a strong cup of black coffee and a very good martini.

Carolyn and Tom retired in 1986 and built a home on Lake Keowee in Salem, South Carolina. It was a wonderful refuge and vacation destination for family members and friends alike. She greatly enjoyed cooking for visitors as they sat in the kitchen enjoying the lake views. There were many wonderful pontoon boat rides that included marina ice cream stops and searching for treasure on the mid-lake islands.

Following Tom’s death after 41 years of marriage, she moved to Marco Island, Florida, where she thrived in the heat and sunshine. She always loved drawing and spoke often of her early instruction at The Baum School of Art. In her 80’s she taught herself to draw on her iPad and created cherished artworks for family and friends. She returned to the Lehigh Valley in 2023 to the joy of her family.

Carolyn is survived by her daughters, Velma “Vykie” Smoyer Whipple and her husband, Dodge Whipple, and Kim Smoyer and her husband, William Hatcher; her sister, Velma Gould Kistler; and her beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nephews all who knew her affectionately as “Bachie.”

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas; her son, Charles Lloyd Smoyer; her daughter, Jan Smoyer; and her brother, John Gould II.

At Carolyn’s request, there will be no funeral services. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date somewhere hot and sunny.

She so greatly valued her art education at The Baum School of Art. If you would like to donate in her memory, please do so here - https://the-baum-school-of-art.givecloud.co/fundraising/forms/8NDR96EK