Carolyn Margaret Slack

Gorham- Carolyn Margaret (Custer) Slack passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 90 on May 30, 2022 with her loving family by her side. She was born September 29, 1931 in Lansing, Michigan to Richard Nicholas Custer and Allura Elizabeth (Exelby) Custer.

Carolyn graduated from Lansing’s Eastern High School in 1949, then attended Albion College in Albion, Michigan for 2 ½ years. She met her future husband, Royal Grant (Corky) Slack, a graduate of the Lansing’s Sexton High School, during a chance meeting when Corky was giving his sister, Mary, a ride home from work and she offered Carolyn a ride.

Carolyn and Corky Slack were married a year and half later on March 30, 1953. Following their wedding, the young couple made their first home at Fort Knox, Kentucky. When Corky was deployed to Korea with the U.S. Army for 18 months, Carolyn moved back to Michigan, finished her degree at Michigan State College earning her Bachelor of Arts degree and Teaching Certificate in 1954, then began teaching in the Lansing Public School System. She continued teaching while they made their next home on the campus of Michigan State College in married housing, while they started their family and Corky began to work toward his degree.

Carolyn and Corky celebrated their 69th anniversary in March of 2022. They had a happy marriage living in Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Florida, and Maine. Carolyn lived for her family. It was the most important part of her life.

As a young schoolgirl around the age of 11 and during World War II, Carolyn’s class had a project to choose a pen pal from a list of students in England. Carolyn chose June, and kept up the correspondence with her new long-distance friend for nearly 70 years. They finally met about 45 years after their first letters, when June came to the U.S. to visit her in Minnesota. Carolyn (and her family) laughed when June told her that her kids were asking if she would visit Disney World. The happy ending to that story is that June returned about 5 years later when Carolyn and Corky were wintering in Florida. They took June to Disney World.

Carolyn was creative, artistic, and an animated storyteller. She was well known to humor an audience of 100+ campers and staff at Mystic Lake YMCA Camp, as well as, entertaining smaller birthday parties or family reunions with Spoonerism’s fables and fairy tales, “making your cresh fleep.” She was also an avid Bridge player and accomplished pianist.

Carolyn made many of her children’s clothes. She loved needle point, painting and sketching, and was able to wallpaper rooms alongside Corky with nary an argument. She often said that this particular project could test a marriage, but she and Corky always enjoyed working together.

Carolyn loved animals and helped her children to love, feed, and care for them too. And she allowed a constant menagerie to share her home. In addition to the usual dogs, cats, and goldfish, the wide variety also included frogs, snakes, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, ducks, and even a South American coati mundi.

In addition to being a wife, mother, and teacher, she also worked at the NH State YMCA, NH Nurses Association, and Havenwood Nursing Home, all in Concord, NH.

Carolyn loved the arts and volunteered on many play/musical presentations in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She shared that one of her favorite experiences was working on “Annie” – we never knew if it was because of the story itself or if it was the actor, “Sandy” the dog, she loved more. She also volunteered delivering books and magazines at the hospital in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, bringing respite and a smile to patients’ day.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her father, mother, and her 7-year-old brother, Richard Alan Custer.

Carolyn is survived by her husband, Royal (Corky) and their four children, Chris Slack of Dimondale, MI, Rick Slack and his wife, Donna of Hartford, ME, Bill Slack and his wife, Lyn of Cape Elizabeth, ME, and Cathy Slack of Bradford, NH; 7 much-loved grandchildren, Jennifer, Scott, Emily, Tyler, Amanda, Melissa, and Allura; and 8 great-grandchildren. She also leaves behind her beloved sister, Mary Sue (Custer) Shawnee and her husband, Charlie, of Lansing, MI and their three children, Charlie, Susie and Jon. Other surviving family members brought into her life by marriage are sister-in-law, Mary Slack Smith, brother-in-law, John Slack and his wife Nancy, sister-in-law, Robin Slack, and 24 nieces and nephews.

A private service and celebration of life will be held by immediate family. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Carolyn’s name to a charity of choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared a www.jonesrichandbarnes.com for the Slack family.