Carolyn O’Connell died at the Hope Hospice Center in Bonita Spring, Fla., on May 14, 2015, after a sudden decline in health. She was 84.
Born on May 6, 1931, in Kingston, she graduated from Kingston High School, and worked as a secretary before becoming a wife, mother, and homemaker. She was the daughter of Caroline and Henry Herget, the founder and proprietor of Herget Oil in Kingston.
Carolyn and her husband Bill retired to North Fort Myers, Fla., in December of 1996. Prior to that they lived in Duxbury. They enjoyed spending time outdoors (especially at the beach), traveling, entertaining their grandchildren, spoiling their pets, and all Boston sports. Carolyn was an avid Celtics fan, and rarely missed a televised game.
She was passionate about spending time on Martha’s Vineyard. Her parents bought a MVCMA gingerbread cottage in 1952. It is now owned by her nephew, Thomas Herget. Her daughter (and her family) have owned several restaurants on the Island, and have operated a bed & breakfast in Oak Bluffs since 1994.
Carolyn and Bill enjoyed participating at the B & B during summers throughout the ’90s and early 2000s. Life’s simple pleasures made her the happiest: a rocking chair, a day at the beach, a good book, friends and family. When times were tough, she never complained. Carolyn will be cremated, and her ashes will be scattered, along with those of her late husband, in the waters around Martha’s Vineyard.
She leaves behind two grown children; Matthew O’Connell and his wife, Linda, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Deidre Diodati and her husband, Henry, of Oak Bluffs and Naples, Fla. She also leaves six grandchildren; Joseph Diodati, Nicholas Diodati, Lucas Diodati, Lylah Diodati, Andrea O’Connell, and Alec O’Connell; her sister, Ann Miller, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Her husband, Bill O’Connell (former Boston television sportscaster), died in February of 2013.
She will be missed by all who knew her. In lieu of flowers, please tell (or better yet, show) someone you love them; do a simple act of kindness; find beauty in unexpected places and share it; and remember (through it all) to smile.