Carol A. Slawson

Carol A. Slawson, 90, passed away peacefully of natural causes on July 15, 2025 at the Texas Medical Center with her family by her side.
Born on November 26, 1934 to Henry "Hank" and Irene Slawson, Carol lived most of her life in Clinton,New York. She graduated from Clinton Central School and later married John Techmanski of Utica in 1957 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Clinton. Together, they had four sons. In addition to being a very busy wife and mother, Carol enjoyed figure skating, camping, swimming, skiing, golfing, piano playing, singing in choirs and, most especially, dancing. She competed in beauty contests and modeled clothes for Doyle-Knower Department Store, and to the astonishment of her young sons, Carol regularly appeared on "Fashion Forecast" which was broadcast on local TV!
Carol was employed for many years at Utica National Insurance Company and later at Aetna Insurance in Syracuse. And later in life (until she was 79 years old!), Carol worked secretarial and reception positions at Limbeck Construction and Forest Oil Company in Houston. Throughout her life, Carol was committed to her family and to her work, both inside and outside of her home. She maintained detailed household budgets and schedules of tasks, and for a period of time, Carol was an exemplary and remarkable single parent.
In the summer of 1989 Carol married Vincent "Vince" Antonacci at Hamilton College Chapel in Clinton and they lived in Syracuse and then in Houston. They generated much joy together, as well as love and laughter with their respective children and then-new grandchildren. When Carol moved to Houston in 1995, she appreciated driving the many freeways, feeder roads, and eventually the tollways all over Houston for nearly 30 years.
Carol had a very busy, full life, and when she wasn't working or continuously getting together with her sons and their families, she avidly watched sports on TV, she was a voracious reader, and since she loved most musical genres, she happily attended performances by the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera. Carol also assisted at her church as a lay reader, eucharistic minister and adoration monitor. She cherished attending her grandchildren's countless dance recitals, plays, athletic events, and concerts and she particularly took pleasure in watching professional tennis, baseball, basketball and the Olympics on TV. Carol was a well-informed fan of many college and university athletic programs, from Syracuse to Baylor, and Duke to U of H. She recorded statistics and rankings, and shared articles about all of her sports favorites. Far and away, Carol's best-loved sporting event of the year was the NCAA men's and women's basketball "March Madness" and doing those brackets.
Inside and out, Carol was a beautiful lady, always attentive to her presentation and flair for fashion, a magnanimous mother and mother-in-law, a proud grandmother, a cheery neighbor, a fun-to-be-with workmate and loyal friend. Carol rose to any occasion and always had a "love to" response to any invitation. Her easy-going company, her joyful attention and interest in everyone (and the topics du jour) were important aspects of Carol's sparkling and charming personality. Carol will be remembered for her gracious smile, her always grateful nature and her enormous generosity of spirit.
She is survived by her four sons: Jeff, Peter, Matt, and Justin "Judd" Techmanski and three daughters-in- law: Terry, Ruth, and Angie, as well as six grandchildren: Ryan, Ross, Evan, Aniela, Erika and Adam. Her surviving two younger brothers are Donald "Skip" Slawson of Clinton, NY, and Douglas Slawson of Norwich, NY. Also surviving Carol are several goddaughters, nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass for Carol was held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Houston on July 31, 2025. In the future, Carol will be laid to rest in Clinton, NY next to her parents.
In Carol's honor, please consider donating to Boys Town, St. Jude’s Hospital or Towers to Tunnel Foundation. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Carol, please visit our Tree Store.