Carol Klaus Coyle-Shea

She was known by those around her as Carol, Mom, or Grammie. She was a force. She was kind and ornery, loving and bitchy, brilliant and naïve, strong and fragile. She raised four children, then became Grammie to 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. She often introduced herself as Grammie – it was by far her favorite role. She was always creative and crafty. A former home ec major, she made clothes for herself and us kids. We always had homemade Halloween costumes, and so did the grandkids. She made the bridesmaids dresses for Pete’s and Susie’s weddings and Patty’s wedding dress. She spent many years costuming all manner of actors and singers in the greater community, beginning with Tim in Alice in Wonderland at MVCCT. She hemmed choir dresses at West Potomac HS and was soon crafting beautiful costumes for Madrigals and Colonial Singers. She served several community theatres in many roles over the years. She did costumes, props, and set dressing for ACCT (theatre and children’s theatre, plus Aldersgate church dramas), LTA, Port City Playhouse, and others, and was a WATCH judge for a number of years. She was always making something: an Irish-knit sweater, a crocheted prayer shawl, “Grammie jammies” for the grandkids, and so many other projects. She sang in the folk group and the choir at Good Shepherd for decades, helped to plan liturgies, worked with families to plan funerals, handled the Mass of Remembrance, and helped in the music department. She sang in the Montebello community choir and helped to promote the Music Club there. She was active in the community. She was a Girl Scout leader, sharing her resourcefulness and creativity with multiple troops. She worked with the Mt. Vernon Counsel of Citizens Associations for many years, supporting favorite local politicians, and volunteering at the polls. She also worked for social justice, most notably with the Quixote Center and Fr. Bill Callahan. And there were times that she loved her church and community enough to challenge those in charge, like pressuring the local diocese to more fully implement reforms and give more equitable roles to women, or fighting to keep Fort Hunt High School open. She taught us to question and challenge and fight for what we believe in. She was a devoted wife, to our Dad Bob Coyle for 53 years, and to Bob Shea for the last 10. She was a loyal friend, to Sharlyn Vaslos, her best friend of more than 50 years, and to countless neighbors and church friends. But the role she valued most was Mom/Grammie, and there was almost nothing she wouldn’t do to support her kids, grandkids, and great-grands. When her first great-grandson, Myles, was born, she asked if she now had to be “Great-Grammie,” but since she had been Grammie for 30+ years, was Grammie to 7 grandchildren and a few spouses, and often introduced herself as Grammie to countless unrelated folks of all ages, just “Grammie” was just perfect. She lived 84 good years, and one pretty crappy one. Even through her illness, she loved to spend time with family and friends. And right up until the end, she knew how loved she was. She left us on June 27 and our family will never be the same. But her legacy of love, her creativity and resourcefulness, and, yes, even her occasional ornery attitude, live on in her kids and grandkids. A Celebration of Life will take place at Good Shepherd Catholic Church on July 26, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m., Mass at Noon, and a reception to follow. Please join us to celebrate Mom/Grammie and all she brought to all of our lives. Following the church events, those who are like family to us are invited to her condo to continue to celebrate her. To celebrate Mom’s love of the arts, in lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in her loving memory to either the Montebello Music Club, C/O Charles McClelland, 5903 Mt. Eagle Drive, #504, Alexandria, VA 22303, or to a local community theatre of your choice (we can suggest some of her favorites).

Tributes

Carol Klaus Coyle-Shea

January 8, 1939 - June 27, 2024