Maria Barbara "Mitzi" Carr

Mystic - Maria "Mitzi" Barbara Carr, a loving mother to three boys, passed away Dec. 18, 2024, weeks before her 99th birthday. She fought for years against Alzheimer's Disease, but kept her kind spirit and light-hearted smile throughout the battle. In 1926, Mitzi was born in Vienna, Austria. She had an older sister, Victoria; a twin brother, Walter; and a younger sister, Dorley.

Living in Austria, her youth was marked by the turbulent times of World War II across Europe. Her mother worked as a nurse at a local hospital, and Mitzi followed in her footsteps by working as a nurse aide. While working at the hospital in Austria, she met her first husband and the father of her three sons, U.S. Army Sgt. Frank Howard. The newlyweds came back to America in 1950, after the birth of their first son, Palmer, in 1949. While Frank finished his education and began teaching economics, Mitzi had her second child, Charles, in 1951, and third child, Robert, in 1952.The couple separated in 1962, and Mitzi moved from Oxford, Miss., to Waterford, where she raised her three sons. As a single mother, she worked very hard, sometimes holding three jobs at a time, to support her boys.

In 1966, she married Thames Valley Steel owner Jack Carr and moved to Mumford Cove in Groton. Mitzi described Jack as her one true love. The couple enjoyed travelling on their yachts, golfing and living life to the fullest. The pair owned multiple properties, including winter homes in Florida, but Mitzi most enjoyed Forest Cabin Farms in Sterling, where she raised Grand Champion show horses.

Mitzi will be fondly remembered as a classy and generous woman. She greeted the world with a kind smile and easily made friends wherever she went.

She is survived by her three admirable sons, Palmer, Charles and Robert; ten grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.