JoAnn McCarty Gaston, 81, of Aiken, passed Saturday night, April 6, 2013, after an illness of several months. The daughter of Harry Hastings McCarty and Vivian Quincy Herron McCarty, she was born June 22, 1931 in Monetta, Aiken County. She graduated from Aiken Institute and Aiken High School, class of 1949. Graduating in 1953 from Winthrop College with a B.S. in Home Economics, Ms. Gaston began a ten-year career as Home Economist with Clemson University, and later the University of Georgia Extension Services. An avid reader, Ms. Gaston enjoyed seminars and lectures, as well as volunteer work. In 1954, she married James McCarter Gaston of Richburg, SC. Living many years in Moultrie, Georgia, Orangeburg, SC and Roswell Georgia, Ms. Gaston returned to Aiken in 2002. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by a daughter, Vivian Virginia Gaston, who died as an infant. Survivors include her children, James McCarter Gaston, Jr., Columbia, SC; Harry Hastings Gaston, Richburg, SC; Holly Greer Gaston Hyten Jeff, Roswell, GA; and a sister, Harriett Mathison of Aiken. The family will receive friends Monday, April 15, 2013 from 5 to 7 PM at GEORGE FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION CENTER, 211 Park Ave., SW, Aiken. Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the South Carolina Book Festival, www.scbookfestival.org.