Adrienne Hulse Carroll passed away peacefully on July 23, 2024, weeks shy of her 89th birthday and after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Adrienne was a kind, loving, and wonderful person whose spirit shone through her beautiful blue eyes right up to the day of her passing.
Her life was focused on simple pleasures – family, friends, church, community and a nice day at the beach. These were the things that defined her life and made her who she was.
Born in Brooklyn in 1935, Adrienne lived there for several years before moving to Long Island where she lived until her marriage. She attended St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset where she was voted “Best Sport”, an early indicator of her lifelong ability to get along with everybody, and also showed her rebellious side by volunteering to march in the NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade – just to get out of school. She even got her picture in the Daily News!
She attended Mount St. Agnes College in Baltimore for 2 years, and often spoke of a favorite memory of touring regional colleges in an acting troupe. After college, she began working at Sinclair Oil in midtown Manhattan and it was here that she met Charlie Carroll, or as she referred to him, her “Rock Hudson”! They married in 1957 and were happily married for 56 years. They had 4 children and then 6 grandchildren who were the joys of her life. She lived long enough to meet her first Great Grandchild, Quincy, born earlier this year.
Family and friends meant everything to her. She and Charlie had a wonderful and active social life with friends made and kept for decades. They often vacationed on LBI and loved a house full of people – the more the merrier! It was truly their “happy place” and they passed that love onto their children and grandchildren as well. Day trips to Manasquan beach with her girlfriends or to Pt. Pleasant with the family were among her favorites too. She and Charlie travelled extensively in retirement and set an example of lives well lived.
After her family and friends, her Church community was the most important part of her life. She was a congregant of St. Benedict’s in Holmdel, NJ for over 60 years and was involved in numerous activities throughout the years, making many lifelong friends. She was a woman of great faith and was the personification of kindness and acceptance.
Adrienne was active in her children’s schools and other community work, with her proudest being her decades of service as an election day volunteer. She looked forward to those very long days every time and saw it as her patriotic duty.
While all who knew her saw the sweet, kind and loving person she was, not all saw or experienced her biting sense of humor. She was VERY funny, often at the most inappropriate times, and was known to crack up her children during Mass, funerals, etc. – and never own up to it when Charlie got upset! That made it even funnier. She kept this sense of humor right until the point at which she could no longer communicate – but there were still times where her eyes (the eye roll!) or eyebrows would reflect exactly what she was thinking – and it was hilarious!
She created a home of warmth, safety and a feeling of unconditional love. She didn’t take things too seriously and her humor lightened up difficult moments. While not a very physically demonstrative person, it was the simple act of her holding your hand that made clear that everything was okay and she loved you. As she grew older, the act of just sitting, talking and holding hands became a trademark of hers for her kids and grandkids and will always be remembered with love.
Adrienne’s favorite “hobby” was a decades-long and relentless focus on sending cards and notes for all occasions and holidays. It wasn’t just birthday and Christmas, but Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, New Job/Baby, Get Well – or just to say hello or thank you for a small gesture or gift. She never knew how much this meant to those who received them, but recipients mention it frequently. She wasn’t nicknamed “Mrs. Hallmark” for nothing!
Adrienne is predeceased by her beloved Charlie and survived by her four children Mary Dougherty (Kevin), Cathy McCann (Joe), John Carroll (Kimberly), and Cornelia Carroll; six grandchildren: Ryan Dougherty, Erin Dougherty, Caitlin Granger (Roe), Rebecca Carroll, John Carroll, Jr. and Michael Carroll, and a great grandchild, Roe “Quincy” Granger. She will be greatly missed and the world’s loss is definitely Heaven’s gain.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 28th at the Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 South Holmdel Road, Holmdel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 29th at St. Benedict R.C. Church, 165 Bethany Road, Holmdel, followed by interment at St. Gabriel’s Cemetery, Marlboro.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in her memory to:
Alzheimer’s New Jersey | 425 Eagle Rock Ave, Suite 203 | Roseland, NJ 07068
www.alznj.org
For directions or to send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.holmdelfuneralhome.com