John Carroll

Obituary of John CarrollJohn Joseph Carroll (Sept 11 1922 - April 17 2013)OCALA - John Carroll, 90, of Ocala, died Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at Sylvia's House, a hospice in Ocala.John was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his 6 children: Patricia Carroll of Virginia and her fiancé David Williams, Maryanne Murphy and her husband Les Seward, John Carroll and his wife Jannett, Colleen Sullivan and her husband Dan Sullivan, William Carroll and his wife Trisha, James Carroll and his wife Shannon. John is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.A devout Catholic, John contributed his time and service to the parishes of Marlboro, MA, Silver Springs, FL, and Ocala, FL. In addition to serving with his wife Virginia as a Minister to the Sick, he also sewed clerical vestments and altar cloths. Perhaps his greatest affection was for the musical dimension of church services, in which he actively participated as a choir member and soloist for many years.Commemorative services were rendered at the funeral mass held at Our Lady of the Springs Catholic Church in Ocala by the Knights of Columbus, in which John had held the rank of 4th Degree Knight.Born in South Boston on September 11, 1922, John grew up in West Roxbury. An energetic worker all of his early days, young John operated a shoe shine station and sold newspapers on the street corner. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (The "3Cs") at the age of 16, and subsequently enlisted in the US Navy at 18 years of age. Following his service in the Navy during World War II, he worked in different companies in and around Boston, including stints working in the tunnels and local reservoirs. He worked for Bickford & Hayes, Sikorsky Aircraft, Bay State Abrasives, Inland Express, Digital Equipment Corp., and the City of Marlboro. He often held down two jobs at a time during his family raising years.John had an entrepreneurial bent, founding Marlboro Sewerage Disposal Company, which he operated out of his residence for many years, and also Mayflower Enterprises, a mail order business which was ahead of its time. John married Virginia Crosby on April 30, 1943, in Cape May, NJ. Virginia died in Ocala on March 10, 2009. They enjoyed a wonderful and faithful marriage lasting 66 years. They enjoyed bringing their children back to Cape May during the summers. Although they had lived temporarily in different communities during the early years of their marriage, they settled and purchased a home in Marlboro, which became their permanent residence before moving to Silver Springs, FL in 1993. They later moved to Ocala in 2005. John was an extraordinary man of many talents and hobbies. Of particular note was that he was a natural performer. As a gifted tenor - and beyond the occasional wedding or impromptu family event -- he lent his singing talents as a participant in many amateur plays and church acting groups. His performances also included playing Santa Claus for the benefit of children during the holidays (in a Santa Claus outfit he made himself), and reading stories to children at the local library. While in his 80s he transitioned from reading stories to writing them, producing 2 books -- loved by children and adults alike -- in which the adventure story was told from the perspective of animals, and revealed warm and insightful human sympathies and needs.Performance was not the only domain for John's creative talents. He sculpted, he painted many landscapes treasured by family members; he upholstered furniture and sewed clothing. He enjoyed canning foods and won prizes doing so. Baking was always a keen personal interest, particularly Irish bread, fruit cakes, and cookies. His eclectic interests seemingly knew no bounds, and the advancing years did little to narrow the range and depth of his creative energy.

John Carroll

September 11, 1922 - April 17, 2013