Carol Ann Williams

Carol was born the eldest of six children to Robert and Alice Samsel on February 21, 1944 in Bronx, NY. She spent much of her childhood in the Albany area where she graduated from Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School with honors in 1962. She carried that strong work ethic throughout her life, sometimes holding multiple jobs to support her family, mostly in the service and retail industries. In 1979 Carol left her home in Wappingers Falls, New York, with only her immediate family and traded shoveling snow for year-round sunshine on Marco Island. Thanks to her friendly smile and great sense of humor she quickly found many friends among neighbors, coworkers, and customers alike. She enjoyed sharing her knowledge of and love for Southwest Florida with friends and family who came to visit and continued to do so by air when she earned her private pilot’s license. She had an excellent knowledge of history and the ability to remember facts and also used her creativity to write poetry and songs to honor various occasions. She strongly believed in giving back to others as evidenced by her volunteer service with Hospice of Naples, and using her talent as an amazing bargain shopper to benefit numerous children’s charities and food pantries.

She was so proud of her children and grandchildren, to whom she leaves behind a legacy of generosity. She is survived by her daughters, Laura (Richard) Forman and Colleen (Christian) Adams, her six beloved grandchildren Robert Forman, Rachel (Koby) Zulon, Jamin Adams, Kenley Adams, Tyler Adams, and Brennan Adams, and her four sisters Kathleen (Louis) Rivituso, Barbara (Donald) Smallwood, Patricia Fox, and Alice (Joseph) DiStefano.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her brother Robert Samsel.

A visitation is scheduled for 5pm on Friday, February 9th at Hodges Life Celebration Center 26051 S Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs. A funeral mass will be held at San Marco Catholic Church on Saturday, February 10th at 11am, 851 San Marco Rd. Marco Island, followed by interment at Marco Island Cemetery, 489 W Elkcam Circle.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Avow Hospice of Naples FL (avowcares.org), Our Daily Bread of Marco Island (ourdailybreadfoodpantry.org), or St. Matthew’s House (StMatthewsHouse.org).