Mitzi Emiline (Carter) Holton Harrill

Mitzi Emiline Carter Holton Harrill, 90, passed away surrounded by her loving family at home on Lake Wylie in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 25, 2026. Mitzi was born at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte on July 8th, 1935, to Cora Clayton Carter and Paul Davis Carter as the first of three children. Her baby brother, Samuel David Carter passed away on February 8, 2023, in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where he, Mitzi and their cousin, Mary Stiles Hansen Brady lived for many years. Their sister, Gail Carter Presson Nichols is an artist living in Sarasota, Florida.

Mitzi lived a life defined by passion, purpose and faith; qualities that guided her family life, work and service. Mitzi dedicated her life to helping others as a nurse, educator, wife and mother. She supported her family and raised her two sons, Billy and Brian, while caregiving for her first husband, William Harrison Holton Junior for fourteen years. Even though Bill was sick the family travelled to Florida, Myrtle Beach, Hawaii and other places. They were married from 1959 until Bill passed away on January 10,1988.

While managing these responsibilities at home, Mitzi rose to leadership positions in nursing and educating the next generation of nurses at Central Piedmont Community College and her alma mater, Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing. Her students were like family to Mitzi, and in fact, two of them actually became family. She introduced both her brother and her son to the women they married, her sister-in-law, Daphne Aldridge Carter and her daughter-in-law, Catherine Lance Holton. At her recent 90th birthday party, her students across many years, family and friends, gathered to toast her and to thank her for inspiring their careers, their service and their lives. One of them called Mitzi a “trendsetter”, not only for her innovative teaching ability, but for even being the first faculty member at Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing to wear a pantsuit once women were allowed to wear them.

Mitzi valued education and hard work, earning her Master’s in Education Degree at UNC-Charlotte in 1973. She previously earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Queens College on June 2, 1958, while working as a recovery room nurse at Presbyterian Hospital. Prior to that she graduated from the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing on August 17, 1956, where she would later rise to interim director of the program.

Mitzi always worked hard to achieve her goals. She graduated from Central High School on June 2, 1953, having worked at Southern Five and Ten Cent store all through school. At Central High School Mitzi was inducted into the Girls Good Sports Club and sang in the Mixed Choir. Mitzi also started shag dancing, which she continued throughout much of her life.

Mitzi earned academic recognition even in elementary school, named “expert speller” “expert reader” and honored for “academic scholarship”. She was also inducted into the National Junior Honor Society in junior high for her academic excellence and leadership.

She was a musician who played the piano, played First Chair violin in the All-City Orchestra and sang solos in the church choir at Allen Street Baptist Church and later St. John’s Baptist Church. She was baptized at Allen Street Baptist Church on October 21, 1945.

Professionally, Mitzi was a nurse, an educator and a leader known for her excellence, her care and her compassion. She was an inspiration to both her students and her co-workers. She worked at Presbyterian Hospital, where she was born, for about 11 years. During this time, she had the opportunity to assist both her sister in delivering her niece and her daughter-in-law in delivering her first grandchild, as well as to be with other family members who were patients.

In 1967, she went to Central Piedmont Community College, where she started teaching nursing and serving as one of the coordinators of the program managing other instructors. She stayed there for 12 years before going back to the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing as faculty in 1979. Mitzi was quickly promoted to Assistant Director of the school where she served 17 years. She was then promoted to Interim Director of the School of Nursing on February 29,1996. She retired from this position in May of 1997.

From her birth and throughout her career, Presbyterian Hospital was a central theme in Mitzi’s life. In 1984, the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing honored Mitzi with their alumnus award recognizing “outstanding service to healthcare and to nursing.” Throughout her career, Mitzi was also a member of the American Nurses Association and the North Carolina Nurses Association.

Mitzi also loved travelling and saw much of the world with her second husband, Hal Stephen Harrill, whom she married on December 7, 1991. They had been neighbors when they were children and met again at St. John’s Baptist Church after their first spouses had both passed away. Mitzi and Hal travelled to many places together including Alaska, Belgium, France, Germany, Hawaii, Jerusalem, and the United Kingdom. They also spent a lot of time in North Myrtle Beach at the family home her first husband had built. Hal passed away on December 24, 2006. In 2008, Mitzi moved to North Myrtle Beach, where she had been going since she was a child. She volunteered at Grand Strand hospital, cross-stitched, played bridge and went to the theater with friends for many years after she retired. She lived there for 14 years, then moved to live with her children at Lake Wylie in 2022.

Mitzi is survived by her loving sons and their wives, William Harrison Holton III of Charlotte, North Carolina and her daughter-in-law Catherine Lance Holton; and her son Brian Carter Holton and her daughter-in-law Nanette Malone Holton of Monroe, North Carolina. She is lovingly remembered by her sister, Gail Carter Nichols of Sarasota, Florida; her cousin Mary Stiles Hansen Brady of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and her sister-in-law Daphne Aldrige Carter. She is also lovingly remembered by her nieces and nephews, Gina Dawn Presson of Sarasota, Florida, Tina Presson Nowak of Sarasota, Florida, Chrity Presson Shaughnessy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Heath Carter of Atlanta Georgia, and Heather Carter Lankford of Concord, North Carolina. Mitzi is also survived by her five grandchildren: Caitlyn Mitzi Holton Stanley, Brianna Corinne Holton Jackson, Kendyl Carter Holton Subh, William Harrison Holton IV, and Alyssa Blair Holton. The light of her life in recent years has been her five great-grandchildren: Emmaline-Kate Moore, Carter-Jean Moore, Honey-Campbell Stanley, Stevie-Jade Subh and Jett Maxwell Jackson.

Mitzi will be deeply missed by all who knew her, whether they called her Professor, Mitzi, Sister, Mom, Aunt Mitzi, or Nana. Mitzi leaves behind a legacy of love, wisdom and compassion that will continue to inspire all those whose lives she touched. She will still be with us in the love and memories of her family and friends. As we say goodbye, those loved ones who have gone before are saying “Welcome home, Mitzi.”

Mitzi’s Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, May 15, 2026 at 4 pm at her home in Lake Wylie. Mitzi requested that everyone wear a shade of blue.

In lieu of flowers, Mitzi would like donations made to Via Health Hospice or the Levine Cancer Institute. She thanks both organizations for their excellent care throughout her illness.