Carol McHale

Carol Lee McHale Naples, FL

On June 1, 2015, Carol Lee McHale, 81, passed away after a long coura geous battle with nonsmoker's lung cancer. Carol was born on March 30, 1934 in Detroit, MI, the oldest daughter of Joseph (Byrd) and Ruby Pearson.

Carol married her best friend, Warren E. McHale, on February 25, 1952 in Detroit, MI and had 63, but not nearly enough years, sharing everything and having fun together whether traveling the world or enjoying dinner and a movie. In 1969, Carol and Warren moved from Michigan to the Cleveland, OH area where they lived and worked for nearly 30 years, retiring to Naples in 1998, where the couple made many close friends in Pelican Bay and throughout the community.

Carol had many accomplishments personally and professionally, and handled every challenge with her unique combination of determination and grace. While raising three children and taking care of a busy household, Carol earned a Bachelor's degree from Lake Erie College (Painesville, OH) and an MSW from John Carroll University (Cleveland, OH). She was a mental health professional at Family Planning and Lake County Mental Health Center, both in Lake County, OH where she enjoyed counseling women reentering the work place. Carol was known to remind people that they could only do the best they could do with the information and resources available to them at the time.

Carol continued to make a difference in Naples by her volunteer work at the Cleveland Clinic and Physicians Regional Hospital. She enjoyed the Pelican Bay Women's Club and her First Thursday's Book Club. Carol and Warren were greatly involved in raising awareness and funds for lung cancer research, creating the Cleveland Clinic Lung Cancer Research Funding Challenge, supporting the work of Carol's special and beloved oncologist, Dr. James Stevenson and the other lung cancer researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Carol is survived by her loving husband, Warren E. McHale; her three children, Linda (McHale) Martin, Larry McHale, and Bruce McHale; her son-in-law, Bob Martin; daughter-inlaw, Sheila McHale; her grandchildren, Scott, Shawn, Kim, Amy, and Mike; her six great-grandchildren; her sister, Gayle (Pearson) Smythe; brotherin-law, Kenneth Smythe, both of Surpise, AZ; and her large extended family.

A celebration of Carol's life will be held on Thursday, June 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the Marbella in Pelican Bay.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in memory of Carol to the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute Lung Cancer and Drug Development Research Fund. Gifts can be send to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, P.O. Box 931517, Cleveland, OH 44193-1655 or made online at http://giving.ccf.org/goto/lungcancer.

Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens in charge of arrangements.