Lucy Caroline Gilchrist Cairney, age 98, passed away on Friday, March 14, 2025, at Bryant Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cochran. Memorial services will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the chapel of Mathis Funeral Home.

Born in Darlington, South Carolina, in 1926, Lucy lived a long and fulfilling life. She moved to Cochran in 2019 to be near her son Chris and his wife Chong after surviving the devastating Camp Fire in Northern California in 2018. A dedicated registered nurse, she worked at McCloud Infirmary (now McCloud Regional Medical Center) in Florence, South Carolina, and later at Feather River Hospital in Northern California. She also once served as a pit nurse at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Lucy met her husband, Tom Cairney, at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina during his time stationed there. Between her nursing positions, she was a homemaker and raised two sons. She pursued her education at Winthrop University in South Carolina and completed her RN training at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina. Later in life, she returned to school and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from California State University, Chico. She contributed to the Art Department at Chico State by cataloging art images and assisting professors with class materials.

An avid reader with a keen sense of fashion, Lucy also had a passion for painting. She trained with a Japanese master in traditional Japanese watercolor techniques. She loved to travel and accompanied her husband on climbing expeditions across Europe and beyond. She later visited Turkey to explore religious sites such as St. Paul's site in Ephesus, the Church of St. Savior in Chora, and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Lucy had many friends she always stayed in contact with.

She is survived by her children Neville Scott Cairney of Paso Robles, California; Dr. Chris Cairney of Cochran, Georgia; daughter-in-law Chong Cairney of Cochran, Georgia; grandchildren Cameron Scott Cairney of Atascadero, California; Erin Kathlynn Cairney of San Luis Obispo, California; Hugh Cairney of Boston, Massachusetts; Juliet Cairney of Chicago, Illinois; Cadet James Cairney of West Point, New York; Connor Cairney of Cochran, Georgia; and great-granddaughter Betty Cairney of Atascadero, California.

She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

The family will greet friends after the service on Friday at Mathis Funeral Home.