Nancy M. (Wood) Carroll

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Nancy M. (Wood) Carroll, age 85, passed away Saturday, August 13, 2022 at home surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of Raymond W. Carroll Jr., born in Providence, she was a daughter of the late Roy and Mary (Senecal) Wood.

Nancy was a graduate of Classical High School in Providence, RI and graduated with honors in accounting from The University of Rhode Island. It was here that she met her future husband Raymond Carroll Jr. Always a great beauty, Nancy was URI’s Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.  

Nancy and Ray were married for 62 years. She was the loving mother of Michael Carroll and ‘No. 5’ Stephen Magliocco, Raymond Carroll III, Ronald and his spouse Ruta, Guy Carroll; grandmother of Jeffrey, Matthew, Drew, Jenna, Kiani, and Andrew; sister of Sarah “Sally” Smith, and the late Virginia Poulten. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Nancy raised her family surrounded by kindness, curiosity, and music, and with an endless endorsement for each one’s individual path through life. Her boys are athletes, artists, critical thinkers, professional men, fathers, husbands, brothers, and good sons. Nancy and her husband Ray created and shared an enduring love and friendship and a sustained joy born from their life together, a life’s story clearly written with each other’s best partner and pen.  

As a young woman Nancy was influenced by the songs of her time, folk songs with a message and a story. She began to write songs of her own based on research done at the Warwick Historical Society.  When her family was in place Nancy began the pursuit of her passion in earnest. She became fascinated with music’s history and forms and returned to her education at RIC then at The Boston Conservatory of Music where she received a master’s degree in composition. Ever in pursuit of excellence, she also studied with numerous private instructors.  

Nancy lived her life with rigor and grace, and endless care and attention for others. She loved Rhode Island like no other place but travelled often with her husband and friends and made sure to lend a helping hand from cleaning public parks in Boston to logging marine data for URI to mentoring friends and inspiring students.

For 15 years Nancy was a professor of music at CCRI where her courses included Advanced Theory, The American Musical, and where she conducted an award-winning chorus that travelled to Montreal, Washington DC, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. She so inspired her community that upon retirement she was given the key to the city by The City of Warwick and June 7, 2002 was declared Nancy Carroll Day in Rhode Island.

At this time she and Ray built a home in Bonnet Shores in Narragansett where she continued to create and inspire, to research and perform, and where she began her final long-term project, ‘Rhody Voices’ which saw her return to her love of storytelling in song. Nancy’s music has been played and sung for over half a century.   

A visitation will be held on Friday, August 19, 2022, from 4-8 pm in the Fagan-Quinn Funeral Home, 825 Boston Neck Rd, North Kingstown. Her funeral and burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the CCRI Chamber Ensemble, Attn: Audrey Kaiser, 400 East Ave, Warwick, RI 02886.