Carol Hargan Underhill Schwartzman

1947 - 2023

Carol Hargan Underhill Schwartzman

Carol Hargan Underhill Schwartzman of Fredericksburg, died on Wednesday, November 21, 2023. Born in Louisville Kentucky on December 18, 1947, she was the beloved daughter of Charles and Mae Hargan. Carol was a true Southern girl who hung onto the traditions of hospitality, politeness, and deep friendship. Everyone loved her because she made them feel special. No Pollyanna, she saw both the good and the not-so-good in life and in people - she just chose the positive.

Intellectual and curious, Carol served as an IBM programmer, researcher and entrepreneur who helped design medical and educational simulations. As the Vice President of Instructional Design at K12, she was responsible for the design of distance learning programs, including online, print, and hands-on materials for both students and teachers. Before that, she started a business with her friend Virginia Rice. Lunaria Inc. created interactive programs for museums, science centers, and the commercial market. Carol worked with a variety of clients, including The Smithsonian Institution, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, The National Science Foundation, the Library of Congress, the Newseum, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Among her many endeavors, she served as Director of Development for Historic Kenmore & George Washington's Ferry Farm and was Project Director for the innovative Great Expectations program for the Virginia Community College system.

An avid tennis player, swimmer and budding pianist, she was a member of the Meridian Club and an active congregant of Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. Carol earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Duke University and her master's in educational technology from The Catholic University of America, where she also taught.

Sadly, the brilliant, funny, caring Carol - the one friends, and family longed to be around - disappeared a few years ago as her Carol-like ways were taken away too soon by her Alzheimer's diagnosis. Always a fighter, Carol lived the past several years in Fredericksburg-area assisted living facilities under the loving care of both facility staff and Mary Washington Hospice team members and volunteers.

Carol was predeceased by her two husbands: William Underhill and Charles Schwartzman. She is survived by her stepchildren, Geoff (Erin) Schwartzman, Julia (Thomas) Kerner, and five grandchildren, brother-in-law John (Lynn) Underhill, nephew Gregory (Victoria) Underhill and niece, Rebecca Underhill (Gregory Barnhart), as well as several beloved cousins, grand nieces and nephews, God children and many lifelong friends.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, December 19, at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, at 308 Hanover Street.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, Meals on Wheels or Mary Washington Hospice.