It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Carol Ann Walsh Lowell, beloved wife of sixty-four years to James A. Lowell Sr. and loving mother of six children, James A. Lowell Jr, Daniel F. Lowell, Lauren (Meyer) Lowell, Janet (Foley) Lowell, Sharon (Diodati) Lowell, and Barbara Jean Lowell. In addition, Carol was a grandmother to twelve grandchildren and a friend to all.
 
Carol was a strong, independent woman who never met a challenge she didn’t take head-on. And that includes her final battle with cancer, where her strength and focus on caring for her family and getting healthy was an example for us all. Space was tight growing up in our Cape Cod house in Massapequa, but it was a warm home, always active and full of love. Carol was our leader; she kept the house organized, the six of us fed and in line, all while serving as a partner and north star for her husband, Jim. With many kids and friends passing through our doors, life was never dull, and Carol was our biggest supporter. She grew up in Riverhead, NY, during a magical era on the East End. She was the daughter of Francis Albert Walsh and Caroline Meyer Walsh, sister to Francis Walsh and Kathleen Walsh, and in later years, stepsister to Donald Walsh and Gerry (Walsh) Emery. Carol graduated from Riverhead High School in 1954 and attended Cortland College, where she was a Nu Sigma Chi sorority member. During the summer of 1957, Carol met Jim, a dashing ‘city-slicker’ from Brooklyn and Hampton Bays, at the Oliver Twist Inn, a favorite club in the Hamptons. After graduating from Cortland in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, Carol began working as a teacher at Herrick’s High School in New Hyde Park, NY. In May of 1959, Carol and Jim would marry and set off on a 64-year romance that would produce new generations of family and fun.

After their first three children were born, they moved the family east from Brooklyn to Massapequa in 1964. There, they were blessed with three more daughters. During that time, Carol began substitute teaching with the Massapequa Public Schools, remaining active until 1987. Upon retiring from education, Carol began working at Dr. Kesden’s ophthalmology office, where she would make many friends and acquaintances over the next 15 years. Never one to sit still, Carol and her partner started a business, Fit-n- Slim, Inc., jumping headfirst into the fitness craze of the late 80s and early ’90s, teaching aerobic classes as part of the Massapequa Adult Education program and providing independent courses at the Fit-n-Slim studio (a karate dojo) in North Massapequa. In 2000, Carol was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, but that didn’t slow her down. She battled that disease until she passed, applying the same discipline and positive spirit that was always present in her life while volunteering with St Rose of Lima Outreach and The Dominican Village, where she taught young mothers English as a second language in their Spoken Word program. She led the St. Rose of Lima parish Bazaar for several years, was active in the Rosary Society, and delivered communion to the homebound. Carol was also the president of the St. John the Baptist HS Parents Club for several years. In her later years, Carol enjoyed exercise, often walking in the neighborhood, playing tennis, and leading aerobics classes. But most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her husband and family, coaching her children’s sports teams, and later sitting spectator, watching her grandchildren excel in their interests. Carol enjoyed traveling with her husband, Jim, to tennis tournaments and social functions with his USTA league teams. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

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