Carol Regina Kirn of Ocean Ridge, FL, passed away suddenly on Thursday, July 24, in Plymouth. Carol was born on July 13, 1945, in Kingston, NY, to the late Johanna and Rudolf Arnold, who immigrated from Germany and were introduced in New York City. They proudly became United States citizens and created a beautiful home for their family in the Catskill region of New York. Carol is also predeceased by her younger sister, Linda Marie Arnold.
Carol grew up in Alligerville, NY, on a farm, attended a one room schoolhouse, received a college degree from Mildred Elley, and began a career in administration. Carol met Ron, the love of her life, on Jan. 27, 1967, and they married on May 24, 1969, following his return from the Vietnam War. They honeymooned in Miami Beach and settled in Wallington, NJ, where they welcomed their son Michael in 1970. Carol and the family moved to Newburgh, NY, and then to Chelmsford, MA, where they lived for 32 years before retiring in 2010 to the Pinehills in Plymouth, and Ocean Ridge, FL.
Carol’s career included 28 years with Raytheon Corporation as an executive assistant in flight test operations and other corporate divisions. Carol’s career at Raytheon was also the source of many long-term friendships and countless events, including the Boston Walk for Hunger with other employees and their families.
Carol lived a vibrant and rich life with a deep appreciation for family and friends. She was a gifted chef, entertainment queen, and accessorizer extraordinaire. She enjoyed designing and nurturing gardens and had an innate talent for art and interior design. Carol loved to travel with her family, with visits throughout the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Caribbean, Europe, Japan, and Australia. She especially loved her visits to Germany to spend time with her relatives and their families, including the most recent one weeks before her passing.
Above all, Carol was a kind, caring, generous and loving person with an ability to comfort so many in her life. She loved her husband Ron and son Mike and his wife Heidi with all her heart, and spread joy and happiness to all her family and friends. She had a wonderful sense of humor and quick wit, always finding a way to make us laugh and smile. Her storytelling was unmatched, telling stories with so much detail it was as if it happened yesterday.
Carol had the kindest soul, weaving her tapestry of stories past and present into all of our lives and making us all feel so loved, and so important. She ended every text with an I Love You! and heart emojis.
Besides her husband of 56 years and and her son Michael and his wife Heidi of Groton, Carol is survived by her brother-in-law Earl and sister-in-law Sharon Kirn of New Paltz, NY; nephew Jeffery Kirn and his wife Laura of Port Ewen, NY, and their children Julian and Susannah; niece Jennifer (Martin) and her husband Gregory of Newton, NJ, and their children Sam and Finn; and her niece Jill (Greaves) and her husband Scott of Poughkeepsie, NY and their twin daughters, Charlotte and Anneleise. She is also survived by the Brink family, whose father was Ron’s half-brother. Their family includes the late Albert and Mary Brink, their children Mike (wife Jennifer), Steve (wife Terri), Tim (wife Kim), Tara, and Tammy (husband Steve), and all their children. Carol loved them all.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Susan G. Komen organization in support of its efforts to end breast cancer.