Carol Beecher Brown, 84, of Moorestown, New Jersey, passed away Sept. 8, 2024, surrounded by her loving family in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Carol was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend whose love, kindness, and boundless energy will be forever celebrated by those who knew her. Despite health challenges, her exceptional resiliency, strength, and positive spirit inspired all. Carol had a unique ability to find meaning and beauty in small things that demonstrated her awe and gratitude for life.
Carol Alma was born in Walton on Dec. 20, 1939, the fifth daughter of Frederick and Alma Hoolihan Beecher. She graduated from Hartwick College School of Nursing in 1962, receiving a B.S. degree, and was a registered nurse. She received her New York permanent school-nurse teacher certification from Russell Sage College and worked for many years as a school-nurse teacher in South Jersey. On Sept. 8, 1962, she married Charles A. Brown at St. John the Baptist Church, in Walton.
Carol and Charles lived in several locations in the mid-Atlantic region with their children, including Goshen and Moorestown, New Jersey. After retiring, they moved back to New York state to Horseheads and Sodus Point and wintered in The Villages, Florida. After Charles died, Carol moved to Hainesport, New Jersey.
Carol’s primary love was nurturing children, first raising her five children with her husband, and then as a school nurse, and then as a loving grandmother, better known as Nana. Carol participated in many clubs and volunteer organizations in each community she called home, quickly making friends everywhere she went. Carol’s faith was central to her, and she was a member of the Roman Catholic Faith, teaching religion classes for many years. In Goshen, she was a board member of the Goshen Area Day Care Center and was active in the Goshen PTO and the Goodtime Quilters. She also enjoyed her Goshen “Sewing Club,” a group of close friends who enjoyed wine and dessert and sometimes sewed. In Moorestown, she was a member of the Moorestown Singers, the Moorestown Woman’s Club, and the Cadbury Mansion Historical Association, and she also served as president of the Burlington County School Nurses Association. In Horseheads, she was a hearth cook and docent at the Finger Lakes Regional Heritage Association of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Association. She was a Daughter of the American Revolution and a Friend of the John Howland Pilgrim Society.
Throughout her life, Carol’s activities and interests included playing piano, skiing, reading, traveling, and gardening. She loved the challenge of decorating a house and making it a home after the family’s many moves. Carol was a talented and prolific watercolor artist in retirement. Carol loved celebrating her annual reunions with her lifelong Hartwick College nursing class friends, spanning more than 50 years.
Carol’s husband, Charles Brown, of 56 years, predeceased her in 2018. She is survived by their five children and ten grandchildren. Dr. Matthew Brown (Dr. Maria Marzo Brown) of Horseheads, and their three sons, Brian (Bernadette), Sean, and Patrick; Michael Brown of Madeira Beach, Florida, Beth Foertsch and her three children, Clare, Daren, and Andrew of Weston, Connecticut; Patrick Brown (Kelly Ahrendt) and their daughter, Ayana, of Boulder, Colorado; Kathleen Chigounis (Andrew) and their three children, Isabelle, Abigail, and James of Moorestown, New Jersey. She is also survived by her sister, Viola (Fiumera), and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Carol was predeceased by her twin brothers Hilton and Milton, her sisters Wenona (Hovey), Althea (Gennarino), and Virginia, and her son-in-law Eric Foertsch.
A Mass of Christian Burial and Celebration of Life will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4, at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown, followed by burial at Lakewood Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be given to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105.
Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow and Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
