Caroline Martha Gash

Caroline Martha Gash of Austin, Texas passed away following a short illness on October 15, 2015. The former Caroline Martha Smith was born on March 28, 1922 in Palmer, Pennsylvania to Joseph and Josefa Malnar Smith who immigrated to the United States in the early 1900's from Yugoslavia (now Croatia) and Austria respectively. She was one of six children. Joseph was a coal miner in western Pennsylvania and Josephine (Josefa) was a homemaker. Caroline moved to Washington, D.C. following graduation from Germantownship High School and worked at the National Airport in the Weather Bureau during World War II where she met a Chief Petty Officer by the name of Frank R. Gash who after only one date asked her to marry him and then left for a six month tour on a U.S. Navy destroyer. Upon returning, they got married in February of 1946 until Frank's death in 2011.

Caroline was a great military wife and handled everything from moving from Navy base to Navy base, giving birth to two children by herself, weathering hurricanes, earth quakes and tornadoes by herself, smashing the bumper of the new car in the parking lot of a Sears store and getting it fixed before Frank found out, all the while Frank was off on a ship for six or more months at a time. Following retirement from the Navy, the family moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina where they lived until moving to Florida and finally to Austin in 1994.

Caroline was an avid gardener. She loved working in her flower beds and would dress up in what looked like a bee keeper's outfit and work in her flowers for hours. She also loved to shop. Mention the words “would you like to go shopping” and she would run to the car. If you lost her in Walmart, just go to the makeup section and you could find her looking at cream to get rid of wrinkles. She was honestly a twenty-five year old in a ninety-three year old body. She never left the house without makeup. She loved clothes and didn't mind telling people what style was in vogue and how to wear their clothes. She could never find someone to fix her hair like she wanted because she did not want an “old woman” hairstyle. She never went anywhere without her lipstick. She had hundreds of lipsticks but could never find a color she liked or that would stay on her lips. Caroline will be remembered for saying what she thought and loved watching people. If you took her to a restaurant you had to remind her to eat since she would be too busy watching all the people. She had the nurses in the hospital in stitches. They thought she was so cute and funny. She told one nurse “you are a pretty fat”. Thank goodness the nurse loved Caroline and laughed. There wasn't a person that she met that she didn't critique but in an honest and loving manner.

Caroline is survived by her son, Richard Alan Gash and his wife, Annette who reside in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and her daughter, Nancy Carol Castelline and her husband, Joseph who live in Austin, Texas. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her grandchildren will remember her for her peanut butter fudge, peanut butter pie, never-ending supply of Werther's candy, and of course, her unselfish love.

Because of her love for children, in lieu of flowers, the family would like to suggest donations be made to the Caroline S. Gash Memorial, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Attn: Tribute # 39062877, P. O. Box 1000, Dept. 142 Memphis, Tennessee 38148-0142 (800) 822-6344 www.stjude.org/tribute. Memorial service will follow at a later date.