Carol L. (Dates) Scully, 90, of Oceanport, formally of Middletown, passed away peacefully Sept. 19, 2023, with her family by her side.
Carol was born Jan. 3, 1933, in Jersey City where she later met the love of her life, Joe Scully. They married in June 1956 and, as their family began to grow, moved to Middletown in 1957 where they built their lives together raising five children. Carol and Joe loved to take many family vacations, whether out camping in the woods or down the Jersey Shore with their kids, two dogs and a cat in tow, through the years. Their favorite time together was the trip they took to Ireland for their 25th wedding anniversary.
Carol had many passions and talents, from creating beautiful clothes for her children or her famous Raggedy-Ann dolls to her love of animals and reading about faraway lands. She was an avid reader with a quizzical mind and always interested in learning which was evident in later years when she mastered the digital age; she would take out her cell phone and amaze many with her ability to utilize its features in her everyday life.
Carol was predeceased by her late husband, Joseph J. Scully Sr.; her parents William and Sarah Dates; her sister and brother-in-law Edna and Robert Brain; brother William Dates; son-in-law Merle Russ; and grandnieces, Heather Fontana and Faith Miller.
Carol is survived by sons Joseph Scully Jr., Kevin (Jean) Scully and William (Alice) Scully; daughters Ellen Scully-Russ (Merle, deceased) and Eileen (Kevin) Simmons; and by her loving grandchildren, Julie Scully, Timothy Scully, Maureen Scully and Erin Scully. She is also survived by her niece Suzanne DeMarco and great-grandnephew Colin Kennedy, sisters-in-law Carol Magnuson and Patrice Scully, and many loving nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are welcome to visit from noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 5 at the John Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Ave., Red Bank. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Nov. 6 at Mary, Mother of God Church, 19 Cherry Tree Farm Road, Middletown, NJ. Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Middletown. Family is requesting that any donations be made in Carol’s name to the Monmouth County SPCA.
This article originally appeared in the November 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
