Carolyn D. Nix, retired social work supervisor, has died at 82

Carolyn D. Nix, 82, of Pennsauken, retired supervisor for the Camden County branch of the New Jersey Division of Youth & Family Services, died Tuesday, March 5, of respiratory complications at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina and the master’s program for social work at Rutgers University, Mrs. Nix spent three decades addressing housing, child care, adoption, education, health and wellness, and other issues important to residents in Camden County and around the state. She joined the Division of Youth & Family Services after graduating from Johnson C. Smith in 1963 and retired from its Trenton headquarters in 1993.

Mrs. Nix focused largely on children and the elderly, and served the state agency in many roles, including supervisor of the Camden County office in the 1970s. She was naturally personable, organized, and optimistic, her family said, and her South Jersey rearing left her acutely aware of the problems confronting parents and children.

She counseled hundreds of people all over New Jersey regarding child abuse and neglect, truancy, foster care, and residential placement, and she organized with other groups to provide shared services and programs. The Courier-Post newspaper in South Jersey published a story in 1973 about the need for more housing for children in crisis, and Mrs. Nix agreed that facilities were lacking. “There are no such things as halfway houses in the state of New Jersey,” she said.

She was one of six children in her family, and relatives were not surprised that she excelled in social work. “Family meant everything to her,” said her cousin Constance Cook Hudson, “and she could always see something positive out of any situation.”

Mrs. Nix was a longtime member of Bethel Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and served on its board of trustees. She joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority while in college and became a charter member of its Theta Pi Omega South Jersey chapter in 1967.

“Everyone who ever met Carolyn always had a kind word to say about her warm personality,” her family said in a tribute. “She did her best to make everyone feel welcomed.”

Carolyn Delaney Robinson was born Aug. 4, 1941, in Williamsburg, Va. She moved with her family to Camden when she was young and attended Ferry Avenue United Methodist Church as a child.

She graduated from Camden High School in 1959 and earned a bachelor’s degree in social work at Johnson C. Smith and a master’s degree in social work at Rutgers in 1978. She knew Herbert A. Nix Jr. from their youth in the neighborhood, and they married in the mid-1960s, and had daughter Lisa and son Herbert A. Nix III.

Her husband died in 1989, and she moved from Camden to Pennsauken in 2000. “She was a warm, gentle, caring wife and a loving wonderful mother,” her family said.

Mrs. Nix liked to travel, especially back to Virginia to see relatives and friends. She eagerly hosted holiday parties at her home and helped organize class reunions for Camden High School.

She supported the March of Dimes, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Disabled American Veterans, and other charities. “She was sensitive to other people’s feelings at all times and showed respect for everybody,” her daughter said.

Her cousin said: “I remember Carolyn for her love for her family.” Her son said: “She was one of a kind.”

In addition to her daughter, son, and cousin, Mrs. Nix is survived by other relatives. Four sisters and one brother died earlier.

Services were held on March 15.