Carole Gasaway Nalle

Carole was born on April 23, 1945, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and moved to Houston, Texas as a child. She was the daughter of Robert and Ruth (Carr) Gasaway and the little sister of Sharon Gasaway Brun. Carole spent her formative years in Houston with loving neighborhood friends. She graduated from Bellaire High School in 1963, where she was an excellent student and was automatically admitted to the University of Texas at Austin. Carole majored in English and History and earned her Bachelor of Science and teaching certificate in 1967. She was the first in her family to graduate college. While at UT, Carole was set up on a blind date with ROTC student, George S. Nalle III – and they were an instant match.

After graduation, Carole taught middle school in the Spring Branch School District in Houston. George and Carole were married there on June 29, 1968, in St. Luke’s Methodist Chapel. Carole joined George (a lieutenant) at Fort Devens in Massachusetts, where he was stationed. They were later transferred to Okinawa, Torii Station. Carole relished in teaching the enlisted men to read. Living in Japan was one of the happiest times in both their lives. They immersed themselves in the culture – George learned to read, write and speak the language and Carole mastered Japanese flower arranging and cooking skills. They cherished socializing with friends from the military base – hosting scrabble and dinner parties in their tiny, one room home. They traveled extensively and came to love Asian art, artifacts, and history.

They moved to Austin in 1970 just before the birth of their son, Brian. George worked for the family business, Nalle Plastics, and Carole was a mother and homemaker. They lived in Westlake before the MoPac bridge was completed over Town Lake. Carole reminisced they had to pay extra for babysitters to come all the way out “to the sticks.”

In 1972, Carole and George welcomed a daughter, Karey. Brian soon entered the Eanes Schools and Carole volunteered in every homeroom her children ever had. She led the effort to include advanced classes in the curriculum before gifted and talented programs existed in the district. Carole was proud she brought The Great Books Program for gifted students to Eanes and taught the program for years. She was equally proud of teaching several landscaping employees at Barton Creek Mall how to read.

She was a dedicated volunteer – having given years of time and talent to many Austin organizations. She met life-long friends in the Junior League, where she worked on the earliest Christmas Affairs and enjoyed community placements like working at the thrift shop. Carole was on the board of Ballet Austin and helped catapult the ballet into a professional troupe with full-time paid dancers. She was a gold member of the Women’s Symphony League of Austin with over 50 years of service. Her favorite placement was the Children’s Day Art Park at Symphony Square. She also enjoyed the Austin Women’s Club and Preservation Austin, formerly The Heritage Society of Austin, where she cooked for the 1886 Room in the Driskill Hotel. One of her favorite volunteer organizations was Helping Hand Home. Her heart was always there, concerned for children who didn’t have anyone looking out for them. She worked on the intake team, but particularly loved taking groups of children from the Home to the movies.

She was a self-taught chef and was humble about her obvious talents. Others easily recognized how extraordinary she was in the culinary arts. For all her volunteer organizations, she was always in charge of food – selecting menus or preparing food for events, teaching cooking classes at Bon Appetite cooking school, even making elaborate gingerbread houses and Easter sugar eggs for fundraisers. Her Christmas cookie parties were legendary. Her recipes are in every local non-profit cookbook.

Carole and her friends from all these groups socialized as well. In the early years, she belonged to a group called “Stitch n’ Bitch.” They talked more than they needlepointed, but Carole always needlepointed at home. Her creations are true family treasures. Being gifted one of her needlepoint pieces was a real honor. She adored time in her book club, the Ladies with Cents Investment Club, the JLA Sustainer Antiques Club, Garden Club, and Sauté Sisters Cooking Club. As of late, she met friends weekly to play mahjong and monthly to dine with her “Westlake Lunch Bunch.” She was a loyal, thoughtful friend to many.

Carole and George developed Heritage Square office park – a collection of Victorian homes they saved from demolition by moving and renovating them into gorgeous offices. Carole selected the period interiors and fixtures. There were many family trips to New Orleans and Atlanta to find just the right historic items. Carole and George won a Preservation Austin Award for this development. Years later, they traveled the country with antique groups collecting and learning about Majolica. Together they were members of St. David’s Episcopal Church and supported St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Carole was immensely proud of her legacy – her grandchildren. She showed up at every event to support them fully and leaned into whatever their interests were. She was on the sidelines of many sporting events. She took them shopping, to cooking classes, libraries, dance classes, museums, and, of course, her favorite – BookPeople. She relished their conversations and was happy just being in their presence. Carole was the true matriarch of her family. Holidays and family occasions will never be the same caliber of event she would have hosted!

Carole is survived by her beloved husband of 56 years, George Nalle III; her son, Brian Nalle and wife Karen Fricke Nalle; her daughter Karey Nalle Oddo and husband Chris Oddo; her cherished grandchildren Caroline Nalle, Garrett Nalle, Harrison Oddo, and Katherine Oddo; nephews Bruce Brun, Jordan Nalle, and Alan Nalle Jr.; nieces Andrea Brun Keeler, Laura Lea Nalle and Camille Nalle; and many close friends.

Carole was preceded in death by her dear parents Ruth and Robert Gasaway, her loving sister Sharon Brun, brother-in-law Marcus Brun, and her favorite Corgi dog, Chandler Bing.

A memorial service celebrating Carole will be held Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 10 a.m. at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, with a reception following at 11 a.m. at Tarry House. Her ashes will be interned at the family ranch in a private ceremony. Donations in her honor may be made to Helping Hand Home or Women’s Symphony League of Austin. You may also consider the Democratic National Committee, Breakthrough Central Texas, or the Austin Humane Society.