Marilyn Carroll

Marilyn Patricia Wolf Carroll, 94, passed away peacefully at her home in Concord surrounded by family on June 18, 2024.

Marilyn was born on February 28, 1930 to the late Hobart Daniel Wolf and Katherine Hermann Wolf in Albany, NY. Marilyn moved 13 times during her childhood as her father was transferred to numerous cities to open Montgomery Ward stores throughout the Midwest and Northeast United States.

Following graduation from Sykesville (Maryland) High School in 1948, Marilyn attended nursing school including a year of study at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Marilyn graduated from the Hospital for Women of Maryland in 1952. It was during her nursing studies that Marilyn met her future husband of 66 years, Charles Fisher Carroll, on a blind date. They married in September of 1952 and moved to Concord in 1958.

Marilyn was a very active member of her community serving on the City School Board for 4 years, the Beverly Hills School PTA, the medical auxiliary and volunteering over 16,000 hours to the Cabarrus Memorial Hospital for which she was recognized by the State of North Carolina. With Mrs. R.S. Stevens, Marilyn enjoyed teaching the Candy Stripers at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital how to perform bedside nursing duties and encouraged the young women to enter the nursing profession. Along with a small group of women, Marilyn started the Pink Pinafore, a gift shop located in the hospital. Marilyn also organized the local Blood Mobile for the American Red Cross. Marilyn continued her humanitarian efforts with the help of her good friend, Mary Ruth Propst, to create “angel baby gowns” for the hospital.
If Marilyn wasn’t volunteering at her church, her children’s grade schools (baking and decorating hundreds of Christmas cookies for 14 years!), volunteering her time as a Cub Scout leader for her sons and their friends and a Brownies leader for her daughters and their friends, you would find her on the golf course. Marilyn loved golf! Marilyn was an accomplished golfer and instilled the love of the game to her children. She was a member of the “hole-in-one” club and she hoisted the trophy as Cabarrus Country Club champion 5 times in a six -year span -this after taking the sport up at the age of 43! She spent many of her retirement years playing golf with friends in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Marilyn was an avid swimmer and devoted much of her summers teaching children and adults how to swim at Beverly Hills Swim Club. Along with Greg Hardie, she was instrumental in starting the Beverly Hills Swim Team and served as the manager of the pool for many years. To this very day, her many “pool kids” readily attest she was “like a second Mom” during those special years.

At All Saints Episcopal Church, Marilyn, with the help of Catherine Willeford, put together a popular church cookbook. She also orchestrated the annual lobster drive and helped form the All-Saints pre-school with Amelia Jones and Brenda Trott. Marilyn spent many years serving on the alter guild and cooking in the Church kitchen for the Church fair.
Marilyn had many friends and enjoyed playing bridge with a group of women that established a Bridge Club in 1958 which continued for 40 years.

Marilyn’s most humbling accomplishment was being named Mother of the Year by the Concord Tribune in 1970.
Marilyn was predeceased by her husband, Charles Fisher Carroll in 2019, her son, Daniel Charles Carroll in 2010, her daughter-in-law Rachel Cody Carroll in 2010 and her great-granddaughter Mallory Fields in 2010. Marilyn is survived by her children Mike (Kathy), David (Shea), Cindy (Mike), Beth (Dave), Doug (Kristin) and John (Jennifer) as well as her grandchildren Kimberly (Nicholas), Sara, Nicholas, Brafford, Durham (Anna), Grace, Anna Catherine (Pete) and Stephen and many great-grandchildren.

The family is especially grateful for the wonderful caregivers and friends that provided excellent care, love and support to Marilyn as well as to her children! Thank you to Debbie, Bea, Esther, Scarlet and Julie for taking such good care of our mother and being such dear friends.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, July 8, 2024 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 525 Lake Concord Road, NE, Concord, North Carolina 28025. Interment will be private. Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Marilyn W. Carroll at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Pl, Memphis TN 38105 (www.stjude.org) and to All Saint’s Episcopal Church (allsaintsconcord.org).