Carol Wharton Hull

The Reverend Carol Hull, 82, of Portland, Oregon, died unexpectedly on September 4, 2025, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, while traveling with her husband, Tommy Alan Hull.

Carol Louise Wharton Hull was born on April 5, 1943, in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of an FBI agent and a mother who overcame tuberculosis thanks to an early, pioneering treatment. Raised in El Paso, Texas, she excelled academically and socially, serving as editor of the Stampede newspaper, being named Burges High School's Outstanding and All Around Student, and traveling to Finland in 1959 as an American Field Service exchange student. She later attended the University of Texas on a General Motors scholarship, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and was honored as a Sun Carnival Duchess in 1963.

On August 10, 1963, Carol married Tom Hull, the love of her life for 70 years. The couple moved to Corning, New York, where Tom began his career at Corning Glass Works and Carol taught middle school. She also served as Americans Abroad Coordinator for the American Field Service, worked with the Corning Museum of Glass, and earned her Master of Science in Education from Elmira College in 1969.

While raising her family with Tom, like her father, Carol was called to ministry-she entered Bexley Hall Seminary in Rochester, New York. Carol served as chaplain to the Cancer Support Unit at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, and in 1984 received her Master of Divinity with distinction. That same year, she was ordained Deacon by the Right Reverend William Spears and ordained Priest by the Right Reverend Bill Burrill. She went on to serve as Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Savona, NY, and Saint James Episcopal Church in Hammondsport, NY.

In 1991, Carol started her 20-year long role as Rector of St. George's Episcopal Church in Dayton, Ohio, where she guided a major revitalization including a new bell tower and the installation of 40 stained glass windows. During that time, she also served on the Diocese of Southern Ohio's Standing Committee and was a candidate for Bishop in the dioceses of Western New York, Atlanta, and Arizona. In 1997, she established a sister parish relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church in Sablino, Russia, strengthening ties of faith and friendships across cultures.

After retiring in 2008, Carol and Tom settled in Lake Oswego, Oregon, to be near their grandchildren. She continued her artistic pursuits as a dedicated quilter, exhibiting her work with Northwest Quilters, and each Christmas she shared her collection of more than 125 nativity sets with joy and hospitality. Together, she and Tom traveled widely, visiting more than 75 countries, setting foot on almost every continent. The only thing Carol loved more than taking a trip was planning the next one.

Carol is survived by her husband of 62 years, Tommy Hull; their son, Joshua Wharton Hull, and his wife, Janet Rademacher Hull, and their children, Nathaniel Rademacher Hull and Elizabeth Rademacher Hull; their daughter, Claire Elizabeth Staniunas, and her husband, Philip Edward Staniunas Jr, and their children, Erin Elizabeth Staniunas and Philip Edward Staniunas III.

A memorial service will be held at St. John the Baptist Episcopal, on the campus of the Oregon Episcopal School, in SW Portland, Oregon, at 10:00am on Saturday, September 27, 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to William Temple House, Western Farm Workers, and St. John the Baptist Episcopal.

The fabric of Carol's life was woven with joy, curiosity, equity, devotion, kindness, generosity, and grace. She will be remembered for her devotion to God, her love of family, her artistry, and her spirit of adventure. She lived fully, loved deeply, and will be profoundly missed by all who were fortunate enough to have been a part of her incredible life.