Carol Lee Gill

Carol Lee left us behind on August 30, 2023, at about 4:30 in the morning. When you think of Carol Lee, the first thing you remember is her laughter. Carol loved to laugh. It was her favorite thing. To laugh, Carol needed her posse. You know who you are. You are all the women who gave Carol a reason to laugh.

            Carol Lee was born in Toledo, Ohio, on July 27, 1942, the only child of Carolyn and Paul Patton. On July 28, 1942, she decided she had seen enough of Toledo and wanted to be somewhere else. Some think Carol’s judgment of Toledo was harsh, but long after Carol Lee formed her opinion, John Denver wrote, “Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio, is like being nowhere at all. All through the day how the hours rush by. You sit in the park and you watch the grass die!” During many of her early summers, Carol Lee escaped from Toledo by going with her beloved grandparents, Bompie and Daddy Tom, to Bell Buckle, Tennessee, population about 300. In Bell Buckle, she learned to sip tea on the porch. Daddy Tom was an easy mark for Carol Lee. When she persuaded him to buy canned sardines for dinner, Bompie would say “Oh, Tom, not again.”

            Carol married Tom Gill on September 12, 1963, the happiest day of Tom’s life. In 1979 Carol earned a Bachelor of Education degree in early childhood education at the University of Toledo. She taught first grade at Blessed Sacrament School in Toledo and second grade at Indian Hills Elementary in Rossford, Ohio, but she didn’t escape Toledo until 1980. In that year, Tom, Carol, and their son, Scott, moved to Rome, NY. In Rome, Carol taught fifth and sixth grade at St. Peter Elementary, joined two women’s clubs, PEO and the Western Club for Women, and even learned to ski. Three years after moving to Rome, the Gills moved to Washington, DC, where Carol taught fifth grade at St. Peter’s School. In 1984, the family moved to Orchard Park, NY. Carol got her master’s in education in 1987 from the State University at Buffalo and then taught special education at the League for the Handicapped. Carol also took enough art classes to get a license to teach art.

            In 2004, shortly after Zachary, the Gill’s first grandson, was born in Rockville, Maryland, Carol informed Tom that she was moving to Frederick and she hoped he would come too. Of course he did, and the two spent many wonderful years close to Zachary and to their second grandson, Clayton. Carol began by teaching first grade at Saint John Regional Catholic School, where she remained until she retired in 2005. Even then, Carol had seemingly boundless energy. She was a member of the Frederick Women’s Civic Club, the Frederick Art Club, and the Frederick Torch Club and volunteered for numerous charitable events. As a member of Saint Katharine Drexel Parish, Carol was a dedicated volunteer and received an award for her years of service.

Carol loved cats, and over the years managed to adopt six of them. She was also an avid organic gardener and composter. She was recognized for her efforts just recently with a “Bay-Wise” yard sign from the University of Maryland Extension. An accomplished artist as well as a teacher, Carol created numerous drawings, paintings, and sculptures, almost all of which she gave away. She valued her association with the Frederick Arts Council.

            If you’ve met Carol, you know that she could brighten any room she entered. Her husband, Tom, considered her a magical person who was the center of his universe. He was never sure why Carol married him and stayed with him for almost sixty years. He is just forever grateful that she did.

There will be a Funeral Mass for Carol Lee on Friday, September 29, at 11:00 a.m., at Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, 8428 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD 21702. Mass will be followed by an open house at the Gill’s home, 2511 Waterside Drive, Frederick, MD 21701, between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.

If you want to remember Carol Lee, consider a donation to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, 14600 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513. Donations can be made online at v.org.