John L. Carroll died this week at the age of 92. He is predeceased by wife Geraldine and two brothers Dr. Gerald V Carroll of Washington, D.C. and Richard Carroll of Alexandria, VA. He is survived by his daughter Mary Carroll, son-in-law Jeff Rock, granddaughter Lauren Restrepo and her husband Mike Brisbois, all of Massachusetts. He is a veteran of the Unites States Army. John attended Meriden schools and Lehigh College. He lived in Meriden, CT most of his life and spent his entire career as a lineman for CL&P. He spent many long nights away from home during storms restoring power to people’s homes and was often called to help in other states and Canada. It was a time before trucks with “cherry pickers”, and John climbed the poles with a leather strap and spiked shoes. John loved tennis and continued to play into his eighties. He played in tournaments at Hubbard Park, but was not a competitive person. An avid fly fisherman, John tied his own flies. But fish need not have feared him; He always released them back into the river. His love for nature led him into the woods looking for wild flowers. He was a Boy Scout leader and led the pack on many hikes. For as much as he loved the outdoors, John hated lawn mowers. He went through many in his time and often struggled to get them started. This usually led to his cussing at them, kicking them, or in at least one case, picking it up and throwing it across the yard. When his wife Gerry was ill and had to move into a nursing home, John was there nearly every day for seven years. Material things meant nothing to him and he would often give possessions away on a whim. He had an amazing mind for math and would spend hours working on calculus or geometry. When we decided to fill the hay loft for the winter, he calculated exactly how many bales of hay would fit, and he was right. His father was a surgeon during World War I, and as the son of a physician, John adopted a “first, do no harm” philosophy. He loved all living things, valued his freedom, and disliked being constrained by rules. It is impossible to capture a life in just a few paragraphs. So all you need to know is this: He was a man without vice, for whom possessions meant nothing. He loved his family deeply and chose to live simply, and he did. Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Mausoleum, 250 Gypsy Lane, Meriden. There are no calling hours. Arrangements are under the direction of the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 East Main Street, Meriden, CT 06450.
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John Carroll
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