Carolyne Lanxon Kelley

Carolyne Lanxon Kelley, a former Toledo and Sanford resident, passed away peacefully in her Florida home on Jan. 18, 2012, following a long illness.

Carolyne was born on July 8, 1927, in Newburgh, N.Y., to Catherine and Arthur Ford, and lived in that area until her marriage to Harold Kelley, the love of her life, for 65 years. They met at West Point in 1945 when she attended a dance as a blind date.

Carolyne was particularly proud of the roles her ancestors played in the beginnings of our nation. She was born in one of the historical homes of her mother's family, the Ellisons, who were prominent settlers of New Windsor, N.Y. Their two homesteads were used by George Washington and Henry Knox when each made their headquarters on Ellison farms during the terrible winter the Colonial troops spent in the New Windsor Cantonment. The family supplied critical help with food and firewood.

Another prominent patriot ancestor, Jacob Morton, was selected by Washington as the Marshal for his 1789 New York inauguration. His father, John Morton, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and known by the British as the "Rebel Banker." Yet another ancestor, Charles McKnight, the first Surgeon General of Washington's Colonial Army, was the source of Carolyne's approval for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Carolyne was a lifelong musician, studying voice from an early age, attending Julliard School of Music in New York, and continuing to perform up to the last year of her life. In Toledo, she was the soprano soloist in The Messiah with The Toledo Symphony. She sang in choirs wherever she lived, including New York, New Mexico, Arkansas, Ohio and Florida. As director of the Briny Breezes, Fla., Chorale, she produced annual spectacular musical productions for many years. She was also the soprano soloist in Toledo's First Unitarian Church Choir for 37 years.

Sharing a longtime interest in reading and education, Carolyne and Harold endowed two reading and study rooms at the main branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library in their names and their childrens.

Carole and Harold loved visiting the Senior Center at Trailside where they enjoyed lunch and companionship with their friends. They also enjoyed Dahlia Hill, the Midland Center for the Arts and the lovely plantings along Eastman Road.

Carolyne is survived by her husband and three children, Kathleen Putnam (Lou), Keith (Shahla Emadi) and Kristen Scheibert-Mizell (Chess); grandchildren, Andrea Kelley Pogany (Andy), Brendan Putnam, Erin Kelley May (Nate), Kelley Putnam Necioglu (Ali Kemal), Stephen Kelley, Kevin Scheibert, Katherine Scheibert and Kayla Mizell; three step-grandchildren, Nazanin Farchtchi, Nazgul Farchtchi Fearnow (Kevin), Chess Mizell; and one great-grandchild, Hannah Carolyne Pogany. She was preceded in death by her sister, Harriet Ellison Ford in 1980.

Services will be held in Florida on January 22, 2012, and a memorial service will follow at a date to be set for friends and family in Toledo, Ohio. The family requested memorial donations be sent to the First Unitarian Church of Toledo, 3205 Glendale Avenue, Toledo, OH 43614, or to Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation, 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33407.