Carol Harrington Claytor

Carol was born in 1956, the youngest daughter of Jeremiah Francis and Marie Holub Harrington, and grew up surrounded by family and friends in Hyattsville, MD. She was a proud alumna of Regina High School and the University of Maryland, where she earned a B.S. in Recreation.

Throughout her teen years and during college, Carol worked at summer camps across the Prince George’s County region, and her passion for working with children and delivering creative, holistic out-of-school programming led her to her first career in recreation. She spent over a decade with the City of Takoma Park, where she thoughtfully coordinated summer camp and after-school care options for thousands of children and their families. After a pause to care for her parents toward the end of their lives, Carol went on to work as an HR Generalist with the City of Bowie for the rest of her career, providing compassionate advice and care to all who stopped by her office.

In March 1986, Carol married her sweetheart and best friend, Michael Forest Claytor, and they moved to Bowie, MD. There, in a little home filled with warmth, joy, laughter, and love, she and Mike raised their two daughters, Courtney Alexandra and Allison Elizabeth, along with cherished family dogs, Rambo and Max, and Peter the cat. Carol loved being a mother most of all: she packed the best lunches, gave the best advice, and was always the first parent to volunteer for field trips, in the first row at school plays, and the first person her children called when they had good news.

She also loved her extended family, crafting, going to the movies, shopping with her mother and daughters, and spending days at the beach or the pool, soaking up the sun. And, she was known for her delicious baking, especially her gigantic, famous chocolate chip cookies.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Jerry and Marie. She is survived by her devoted husband, Mike; her adoring daughters, Court and Allie; and her siblings: Jeremiah Harrington, Joseph Harrington, Mary Jane Maloney, and their families.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carol’s memory to the Chris Griffey Memorial Feline Foundation, at criticalkittens.org. Carol had a special connection with animals, especially cats and dogs, and her youngest grand-kitten was proudly adopted from CGMFF.

Plans for a memorial mass and celebration of Carol’s life will be shared by the family at a later date.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths, but by the moments that take our breath away.”