Carol Edith Coogler

Dr. Carol Edith Coogler, age 78, died peacefully on June 3 after a courageous journey with Alzheimer’s disease. Carol was born and raised in Elberton, Georgia and was in the Elberton High School Graduation Class of 1959. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carlton “Bo” and Minnie Coogler and her older sister, Beverly. She is survived by her sister, Mary Kay and husband Hugh Duskin and nephew Hayden Hodges, wife Beth and their son Clayton.

Professionally, Carol was a physical therapist and earned degrees from The Medical College of Virginia (1964), Emory University (1966) and Boston University (1970 and 1983). Dr. Coogler worked at the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation and Louisiana State University’s medical school in the sixties. In 1975, she joined Shepherd Center in their first year as Chief Physical Therapist. As a professor, Carol shared her love and dedication to her field as a professor at Boston University, Georgia State and Emory for over three decades. From 1988 until retirement in 2011 she oversaw the Emory’s Vestibular Balance Clinic. Dr. Coogler received the prestigious Lucy Blair Service Award in 1997 honoring exceptional contribution to her field. An erudite and ceaseless promoter of research, she was among the first to use computer instrumentation to improve balance in the elderly population. Her publications include research on the positive effects of Tai Chi for balance and stability in seniors.

Carol built a house on top of a mountain at Big Canoe and lived there from 1998 until 2014. Carol’s home was a destination for holidays and parties over the years where good food, music, bridge and putt-putt competitions were frequent. She received Big Canoe’s Outstanding Service Award in 2008 for her many contributions as a volunteer. She spent countless hours volunteering at Big Canoe Animal Rescue and the Dawson County Humane Society. A lover of dogs, we know Boo, Jeb Stewart, Toto, Taylor and Bailey were dancing at heaven’s gate when Carol arrived. Many friends know her for her love of music, especially traditional Appalachian music, as she played the banjo, autoharp, guitar and pump organ.

Carol leaves behind a large community of loving friends who treasure years of laughter, adventures, and fun. Those who cherish her memory include her godchildren Amanda Meng and Jamie Shepherd and their siblings, Sarah Meng and Julie Shepherd. Friends who coordinated Carol’s care as the Alzheimer’s advanced are grateful to all who supported Carol and us on this journey.

A celebration of life is planned later in Atlanta with a graveside burial in Elberton, GA. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Dawson County Animal Shelter, 633 Martin Rd., Dawsonville, GA 30534 or the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, 1111 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314.