Anna Carolyn Yates (neé) Herrington

Anna Carolyn Yates (neé) Herrington, a devoted educator, mother, and beloved member of her community, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2026, at the age of 90. She leaves behind a legacy defined by her love of education, her commitment to her students, and the enduring impact she had on generations of readers and learners in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Though she would tell others that she was turning 58 “again” each year on her birthday, Carolyn was born on July 20, 1935, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to Robert “Willie” and Vallie Mae (neé Bush) Herrington.

After graduating from Hattiesburg High School, Carolyn attended the University of Southern Mississippi in her hometown. Quiet and bookish, one of her favorite college professors jokingly bet her $1 that she couldn’t land a date with the University’s football star, Ollie P. Yates, Jr. On May 27, 1957, that professor paid up: Carolyn married Ollie and collected her dollar at the end of the aisle. The two shared more than 50 years of marriage, during which they welcomed five children: Lynn, Lisa, Brian, Alison, and Lori.

After devoting her early years to raising her family, Carolyn returned to teaching in full force, earning a master’s degree from Lesley University in Boston while also teaching English in Nashua, first at Nashua High School and then at Fairgrounds Middle School. Carolyn was often stopped in grocery stores, on sidewalks, or in restaurants by former students eager to share how she’d shaped their lives. She frequently read aloud to her classes–even when they thought they were too “grown up” to be read to–and, over the course of her career, inspired thousands of Nashua students to love reading and storytelling, many of whom still remember their favorite stories in her voice.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, Ollie P. Yates, Jr.; son, Brian T. Yates; sisters, Ava Dossett of Hattiesburg, MS, and Frances Norris of Petal, MS and her parents, Robert William “Willie” and Vallie Mae Herrington.

She is survived by her daughters, Lynn (Rich) Goldin of Norwood, MA, Lisa Yates of Nashua, NH, Alison Yates (Jeff Craven) of Swansea, SC, and Lori (Anthony) Borazzas of Nashua, NH; her five grandchildren: Nicholas Southworth, Lindsay Southworth, Kaleigh McKee, Kira Yates (Michael Lee), and Noah Borazzas; one brother, Robert W. “Bobby” Herrington, Jr. (Twana Jo); one great-grandchild, and numerous nieces, nephews, and former students who treasured “Mama Yates.”

If you would like to do something to honor Carolyn’s memory, please consider volunteering at a school or library, knitting a hat, baking a pie, reading your favorite book, or making a gift to Gateways Community Services in Nashua, NH.