Robert D. Carroll

Robert D Carroll – 90, recently of Mashpee, MA passed away on June 13, 2024 after a period of declining health. He had been living with his son Thomas A Carroll and grandson Tim in Mashpee, who had been helping him for the past few years. He had previously lived in Guilford, ME after his retirement (2005) and the death of his wife, Paula M. Carroll (Harrington) in 2009.

Robert (Bob) and Paula raised their children in Scituate, MA where they lived from 1968 until 2009. Bob’s surviving children include Stephen B Carroll and his wife Kimberly J Carroll (McNelly) in Douglas, MA, Judith L Jaffarian (Carroll) and her husband Robert (Bob) Jaffarian in Cape Coral, FL and Thomas A Carroll in Mashpee, MA. Bob was predeceased by his much-loved youngest daughter Sheila M Carroll and daughter in-law Frances (Frannie) C Carroll (Lizotte).

Dad was born in Sheperd, MI and grew up in a large family on a farm, he was the youngest of 11 children of the late John M Carroll and Minnie P Carroll (Sherman). John and Minnie had 10 other children, Lloyd, Rose, Agnes, Margaret, Arthur, Leo, Charles, Michael (Francis), Jeannette and Bernice.

After growing up in Sheperd, Dad joined the Air Force in 1953 toward the end of the Korean war and served four years in various places at home and abroad. This included 18 months at an air base in the Philippines manning a remote radar station for the 962nd Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron. Dad entered the service as a basic airman and rose to the rank of Technical Sargent. His final tour was at Otis air force base on Cape Cod where he met Paula who was singing for the summer at nightclubs on the cape. They married in 1958 in Milton, MA and moved to Grand Rapids, MI as newlyweds.

Dad was trained in communication equipment in the air force and continued his education as a young man. He started work in the burgeoning field of television where he made his career for almost 50 years. Dad started working for WNAC/ABC channel 7 in 1967 and moved his family to Scituate in 1968. In the early 70’s Dad changed networks and started working for Channel 5, now WCVB where he remained for the rest of his career in television. Dad worked behind the scenes doing all sorts of jobs, although you could catch him on Chronicle as an “unpaid extra” if you watched closely. He made two trips to Rome in 1978 to support the remote coverage of the selection of the new Pope. He worked as a repairman, editor, cameraman, driver, the full gamut of jobs behind the scenes. Some of his favorite work was with the remote operations truck and working on Chronicle. He was involved in the IBEW and rose to be “master chief” within the ranks of the station.

Growing up on the farm, Dad had a great appreciation for the outdoors that included hunting and fishing. During the 1970’s a group of friends from WCVB started annual trips up to Moosehead Lake for hunting and ice fishing and Grand Lake Stream for landlocked salmon fishing in the spring and fall. The trips up to Grand Lake Stream continue to this day for many new friends, Dad was one of the last of the original group remaining. Luckily, we had him up at Grand Lake Stream for one last trip in 2023.

Dad was an avid gardener and always had a knack for growing things. Growing up in the 1970’s we always had a large garden and ate summer vegetables right from the garden. Dad had us and the neighborhood kids picking wild grapes, dandelions, elderberries and choke cherries to make wine in the basement. Dad planted grapes in his yard in Maine when he was in his 70’s and was still making homebrew wine.

Bob was grandfather (Papa) to Alison, Emily and Matthew Carroll, Andrew Jaffarian and Meagan and Tim Carroll. He was Uncle Robert to generations of nieces and nephews too numerous to name, mostly in Michigan.

A visitation/remembrance will be held on June 28, 2024 from 4-7pm at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Road, Scituate, MA 02066.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Robert’s memory can be made to the Downeast Lakes Land Trust, 137 Milford Road, Grand Lake Stream, ME 04668, [email protected]. Alternatively, to the National Brain Tumor Society, braintumor.org. His beloved daughter Sheila was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016.