Carolyn Canham Dain

Carolyn Canham Dain, of Denver, Colorado, and North Truro, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on November 16, 2016. Her daughters, Lisa Denison, Julie Denison, and Jennifer Pearce and her sister, Elizabeth Canham Davis (Betsy), were with her in the days prior to her death. Carolyn was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1931. Her parents, Erwin Dain Canham and Thelma Hart Canham, were living there while her father was reporting on the League of Nations for the Christian Science Monitor for which he subsequently became Editor. Carolyn graduated from Cornell University with Phi Beta Kappa honors. She and her former husband, R. Shale Paul, had 4 children, Lisa, Ken, Julie and Jennifer. Carolyn loved being a mom and would say, ""It says mother on my birth certificate."" Ken passed away in 2015. She had 7 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Carolyn loved learning and teaching. Early in her career, she taught kindergarten and grade school. For the last 4 decades, Carolyn spent winters in Denver and summers in North Truro. She gave her time in both places to organizations for which she cared. In Denver, she was recently honored for her more than 25 years of service as a volunteer to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. She was a team leader for the Prehistoric Journey exhibit and had a particular interest in the study of whales about which she educated many school children on their visits to the museum. On Cape Cod, she volunteered regularly at the Cape Cod National Seashore Park in Provincetown. She had an extensive knowledge of the geologic, social and natural history of Cape Cod which she shared with the many visitors to the park. As a lifelong Christian Scientist, she published numerous testimonies of her own healings and articles. Carolyn was an avid gardener, a passion she shared with her mother and her children. She truly possessed ""a green thumb"". In fact, she enjoyed helping others with their gardens. Betsy would often find that Carolyn had improved Betsy's garden while she was away. Carolyn earned the title of ""Stealth Pruner"" for her excellent and well thought-out work. She loved life and always put her best into it. She welcomed each day with ""the sun is shining; the birds are singing"", as we know they are for her now. There will be a private memorial service in the spring of 2017. Memorial donations can be sent to The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO, 80205 or the Center for Coastal Studies, 115 Bradford St, Provincetown, MA 02657. Please share your memories of Carolyn and condolences for her family by signing the guestbook below.