Carol Lee Spaziani

Born in Abington, Ma. On Nov. 9, 1937 to Freeman G. and Helen (Poole) Atwood, Carol was educated in Abington schools and later attended Fisher Junior College in Boston. During this time she met and married Lawrence Spaziani They shared 44 years before his death in 2003.

Carol choose as her career what she considered the most challenging and creative of careers - that of keeping a home and raising a family. Seeing her children grow into adults whom she liked and respected as well as love was her greatest joy.

Larry’s work required their moving around the country, so Carol was often in the process of packing and creating a new nest for her family - never a chore but always a chance to see and explore new areas and to expose the children to new ideas. After more than a dozen moves the family was able to settle back in Abington until retirement in 1997.

When the children were grown Carol was able to indulge in her passion for travel. Although Larry did not enjoy travel, he supported her in her taste for adventure as she set off for one continent or another with her trusty backpack. From Siberia to the Straits of Magellen, from China to Tanzania she loved most the meeting with ordinary people. Eventually she was able to visit about 80 countries. Unfortunately a heart attack in 2000 forced her to turn her traveling into becoming a tourist rather than the traveler she had been.

Retirement to N C had Larry and Carol building their dream home in Boiling Spring Lakes and becoming active in the community. Carol tutored, joined and became active in the Oak Island Senior Citizens where she made many new friends, was a hospice volunteer for a short period of time and has made hundreds of blankets for Project Linus and later Blankets with Love.

After retirement her greatest joy was to take each of her grandchildren on a trip of their choice, preferable to a third world country. She managed to take eight of the ten before her death. As well as the travel experience they were able to get to know each other as individuals, to realize that Gram was a person too.

The world will be left without her jokes and delightfully warped sense of humor and her upbeat outlook at life and its many quirks. Left with fond memories are her four children: Anthony and wife Catherine of Abington, Ma, Stephen and wife Kim of Nashua NH. and, Lawrence and wife

Soula of Chelmsford, Ma, and daughter Pia Beth Hackley of Leland, NC, ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Her brother, Carl Atwood and wife Barbara live in Kingston, Ma.

There will be no services for Carol. The family will receive friends at Carol’s residence on Sunday, August 29, 2010 from 1:00 until 5:00 p.m. She asked instead that when friends are gathered they raise a glass of their favorite beverage and toast her now and then. Tell a story, laugh a bit . . . and remember.