Obituaries

Shirley Van Sant CarsonVolunteer

Shirley Van Sant Carson, 70, who volunteered for and led groups supporting the cause of people with mental disabilities, died May 16 at the Regency Park assisted living center in Gambrills. She had Alzheimer's disease.

She moved to the Annapolis area in 1966, after her husband's appointment to the faculty of the U.S. Naval Academy. She was a volunteer member of the academy's chapel flowers committee and a member of the wives club for many years.

She and her husband, Bernard Carson, a professor emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, frequently welcomed midshipmen into their home.

Mrs. Carson was also known for her lifelong work in behalf of people with autism, mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. She was a volunteer and board member at the Anne Arundel County Association for Retarded Citizens (now the Arc of Anne Arundel) for many years and served as its president and executive director. She was a board member of the Maryland Trust for Retarded Citizens for more than 20 years. She was honored by the Maryland legislature in 1998 for more than 30 years of service on issues related to mental retardation.

As a board member of the Arc, Mrs. Carson helped to establish a number of residential programs, including Bello Machre in Glen Burnie and Alternative Living Inc. in Annapolis. In 1981, she was a founder of Langton Green Inc., a residential home in Annapolis for people with developmental disabilities.

Mrs. Carson was born in Fort Washington, Pa., and graduated from Pennsylvania State University. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and of St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Annapolis.

Survivors include her husband of 49 years, Bernard H. Carson of Severna Park; two children, Scott D. Carson of Crofton and Anne E. Carson of Annapolis; a sister; and two granddaughters.

Charles Edison GilbertPrinter, Magazine Publisher

Charles Edison Gilbert, 64, a Vienna printer who was co-founder and publisher of a magazine called RV Enthusiast, died of a heart attack May 12 at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Mr. Gilbert was born in the District and graduated from Chamberlain Vocational High School in 1960.

He worked in the printing industry for nearly 45 years, beginning with the Reprint Co. He had been vice president of Frank Gumpert Printing in the District. In 1981, he became founder and president of GM Printing in Vienna.

He donated his time and energy to a number of youth sports programs in Northern Virginia and helped establish Boys & Girls clubs in Luray, Va., and Falls Church. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was a member of the Jaycees and was a member and past president of the Vienna Ayrhill Lions Club.

He was president of the Friends of Homeless Animals, an organization dedicated to saving abandoned and abused dogs and cats.