Lilian Carolyn McConnell

LILLIAN CAROLYN MCCONNELL

1922-2015

Lillian Carolyn McConnell (Carol to those who knew her) passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 17, 2015. She was 92 years young. Carol was born in Richmond, Virginia on April 13, 1922 and graduated from Napa High School in 1940.

Carol married Ralph E. McConnell (Lt. Cdr. Ret.) on July 16, 1941, a marriage that lasted 55 years. She was extremely patriotic and loved being a Navy wifewhich included traveling to all of the places Ralph was stationed. She was living above Pearl Harbor in the Manoa Valley on Oahu during the Japanese attack. One of the stories she often told was about seeing the planes fly overhead on their way to Pearl and how she thought it was a training exercise until she saw the rising sun on the wings of the planes. Shortly after they flew over she could see the smoke from the harbor. She was so thankful that her husband was out at sea that day. Carol was a living history book on World War II.

Carol was loved and respected by many. She was kind, generous, loving and fun. She had a great sense of humor with just a dash of mischief thrown in. She was blessed with many lifelong friendships nurtured through her 15 years as the chutney maker at the Chutney Kitchen at Vintage 1870 (which even got her a guest spot on the Julia Child cooking show), neighborhood activities, volunteering at her children’s schools and her husband’s careers in the U.S. Navy and at Kaiser Steel. She meant the world to her family, including her many nieces and nephews.

Carol was very creative and had many hobbies that brought her joy. She loved cooking and baking from scratch, sewing, knitting, dancing to “Big Band” music, reading, gardening and watching romantic comedies. Her favorite holiday was Christmas, when she would decorate the whole house with handmade ornaments and prepare holiday feasts that always included quiche and malfattis. She loved to fly and enjoyed multiple trips to Florida and Australia.

Carol was pre-deceased by her parents, her brother, Don, and her husband, Ralph. She is survived by her four children, Don (and wife, Kathie) of Napa, Karen of Napa, Pam (and husband, Jack) of Napa, and Steve (and wife, Cathy) of Livermore, her eight grandchildren, Amy, Luke (and wife, Jen), Zack, Lincoln, Audrey (and husband, Ryan), Ali (and husband, Brian), Jenny (and fiancé, James) and Jared (and wife, Natalie), her four great grandchildren, Cash, Maggie, Molly and Emily, and a fifth on the way.

Carol will be buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery alongside her husband, Ralph. Per her wishes, there will be no service. There will be a viewing on Saturday, February 28, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Tulocay Funeral Home, 411 Coombsville Road, Napa, California.

The family requests any memorial contributions be made to The Pathway Home or the American Cancer Society, as Carol was a cancer survivor. They would also like to thank The Berkshire for the care and love they showed Carol over the last five years.

Words of sympathy may be sent to the family online at www.tulocaycemetery.org.

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