Carolyn Handley, 90, a Concord resident since 1959, died Saturday, Feb. 18 in McGrady, North Carolina. She was the beloved wife of the late Harold Thurston Handley, Jr.
Born in Dedham on Sept. 26, 1932, she was the stepdaughter of the late Myron Roberts and the daughter of the late Douglas Bacon and Olive Roberts. She grew up in Lexington and attended Lexington schools. She later attended the Children’s Hospital School of Nursing in Boston and graduated as a registered nurse.
Carolyn worked at Emerson Hospital in Concord, McLean Hospital in Belmont, Deaconess Nursing Home in Concord and the Massachusetts State Children’s Hospital in Waltham. She was a Sunday school teacher at the Church of Our Redeemer in Lexington, participated in the Bedford Chorus, and was a long-time member of the Concord Woman’s Club. She was a dedicated member of PEO, a philanthropic organization dedicated to the advancement of women, for which she served as a chapter and state president.
In her retirement, she enjoyed visiting her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and traveling around the world on cruises with her husband. She was an avid knitter and seamstress and loved singing and reading.
Carolyn’s survivors include her children, Elizabeth Horrell of North Carolina, Joy Handley of Wyoming, Mark Handley of Arkansas and David Handley of Maine, and her sister Virginia Cahill of Massachusetts. She is also survived by 8 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband, parents and stepfather, Carolyn was preceded in death by her sisters Barbara Zukas, Marjorie Cupp and Beverly Weisenreder.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate Carolyn’s life during a memorial gathering beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, 2023 at the Handley family residence, 19 Ridgeway Rd, Concord. Interment will be private.
Donations in Carolyn’s memory may be made to Cottey College (a women’s college owned and supported by PEO) care of: PEO Chapter E, 10 Heather Hill Road, Acton. MA 01720.
Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in her online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.
