Carol LaVance

February, 2005

Two of my sisters, Carol (MHS 61) and Ginger (MHS 66), both passed away on the same Valentin’s Day weekend in 2005 Carol in New Jersey, Ginger in Florida. Needless to say, it was a devastating coincidence for our family.

Carol was also my classmate at Millburn: After a childhood illness resulted in a learning disability not often recognized when she began school in the mid 1940s, she had a difficult time with her studies and was kept back a grade in grammar school. In that era, such disabilities were often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, leaving the impression that those so afflicted were slow learners or worse. Carol’s determination to succeed, undiminished in all she undertook in school and later life, meant she had to try harder at almost everything that others took in stride. Her list of accomplishments and interests was long.

She was always very fond of art and music and in high school was a proud member of the school band and marching band for which she played clarinet. She particularly enjoyed participating in the parades down Millburn Avenue following winning football games.

Among her favorite pastimes at our summer homes on Barnegat Bay were swimming, fishing, boating and helping care for and play with baby brother, Jeff. Carol was also active in Girl Scouts and attended summer activities at Camp Wysomish in the South Mountain Reservation.

During the winter, she enjoyed skating at Adams Pond (also known as Geer’s Pond) on Great Hills Road next to Far Brook School. A group of us, including sisters Francine and Ginger, would even skate there at night with a bonfire going; we even saw deer as we trudged back to our home on Old Short Hills Road. We often wondered who was more startled the deer or us!

One of Carol’s (and my) fond memories was when she attended a formal military ball with me at the West Orange Armory, where I was a member of the Junior Essex Troop horseback riding organization.

She had an unforgettable winter adventure with her Girl Scout troop. The group took a weekend train trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania on the Lackawanna Railroads flagship, the Phoebe Snow, which traveled from New York City to Chicago with a stop in Summit. An unexpected blizzard hit Pennsylvania, stranding the troop for several days after which the National Guard was able to help them out. They returned to a cheering crowd of parents and siblings in Summit and a front page article with photos in the Newark Evening News.

My sister Carol’s fierce determination to apply extra effort to accomplish all she undertook remains an inspiration and she is affectionately remembered by our family and the friends she left behind. We miss you, big sister.

~ Edward LaVance