Carol Nagele Romano

Carol Ann Nagele Romano, 83, of Grasonville, MD, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. Her passing is mourned by her husband, Bill, and their family: son, Bill; daughter-in-law, Kelly; granddaughter, Sophia of Lancaster, PA, son Philip Romano of Arlington, VA, and daughter Lynn of Annapolis, MD. Carol Bunck Nagele was born in Mineola, NY, on October 17, 1937, the only child of Philip Nagele and Eleanor Bunck Nagele. Growing up by the Long Island Sound in Manhasset, NY, and later Asharoken Beach, fostered her lifelong love of the water, sailing, nature and marine life. After graduation from Manhasset High School in 1955, Carol attended St. Lawrence University, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Phi sorority and earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1959. She then began a career as a research scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and then at Brookhaven National Laboratory. On September 17, 1961, Carol married William Scudder Romano of Northport, Long Island. Carol and Bill were blessed with three children, and Carol changed her career to full-time mother and homemaker. She also loved her pets, childhood pup, Laddie, and then as a young mother, Frisky and later cat Taffy and dog Tilly. Shortly before her passing, she asked us to pet cat Lily for her. When Carol and family moved away from LI, NY to Orchard Park, NY, she spent more time with her children and getting to know the neighbors through “Welcome Wagon”. There would be hikes through the ravines and frequent trips to Niagara Falls. Fun loving and outgoing, Carol frequently urged her children to “learn and enjoy,” advice she put into daily practice. After the family moved to Roanoke, VA, she engaged her lifelong love of learning by becoming a docent at the Science Museum and a volunteer at the Red Cross and a Girl Scout leader. She studied to qualify as a Master Gardener in Roanoke, VA, and continued as a Master Gardener, educating and advising on regional gardening and horticulture in Marietta, GA, Severna Park, MD, and Lewisville, NC. She and her husband, Bill, were members of yacht clubs in Centreport, NY, Virginia Inland Sailing, Smith Mountain Lake, VA, Lake Lanier Sailing Club, Flowery Branch, GA, and Severn Sailing, Annapolis, MD. She more recently attended Chesapeake College’s adult learning programs as well as various local book clubs. As a child and young adult, Carol’s love for and knowledge of God grew while attending the Lutheran church with her family. In her later years as an active Grasonville community member, she joined the Immanuel Methodist Church in Grasonville, MD, a church she loved, where she helped with Vacation Bible School and participated in the winter coat drive until the coronavirus pandemic and the onset of illness kept her at home. Though they miss her keenly, Carol’s family is comforted by God’s promises to us all. “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11:25 In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Carol may be sent to: American Cancer Society, Chesapeake Cats and Dogs, or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. A service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on another date in the future.

Carol Nagele Romano

October 17, 1937 - April 4, 2021