William John “Bill” Carroll, a resident of Daphne born Oct. 11, 1939, passed away Friday, Jan. 9, 2015.
He attended St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope where he was an active member of the Men’s Coffee Club and Discussion Group.
Survivors include his daughters with Cynthia Mostellar, Kristin Carroll of Carbondale, Colo. and Lauren Carroll of Fairhope.
Cynthia wrote this in Bill’s memory:
A tribute to my children’s father
You are no doubt familiar with the adage “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.”
Well, Bill Carroll was definitely not “most men.”
Bill’s life from the time he was young until the day he died was spent speaking out, protesting mediocrity and championing causes which included the right of all to a life protected under the constitution, interfaith dialogues and childbirth education. He and Cynthia were at the forefront of the movement to see that fathers as well as mothers could participate in the birth of their children and to that end even joined a picket line in front of Mobile’s Admiral Semmes Hotel where the Alabama Medical Association was holding its annual meeting in the early 1970s and were featured on the Mary Noland television program.
Bill was no shrinking violet. He was a strong minded, passionate and brilliant (though occasionally verbose) advocate for truth and fairness. In his later years his attention centered around his utterly unmovable conviction that God loves us ALL and that He accepts us just as we are. Bill always told us that Jesus was his hero, and all his fist-shaking softened to gentle encouragement and his cynicism to hopeful optimism.
Bill was shamelessly devoted as a father to Kristin and Lauren, working diligently alongside his sister Nancy as a children’s clothing designer and manufacturer for their company Caboodle and later his company, Lauren St. John Ltd. He did all this so that our daughters could attend the finest young girls’ school in Memphis.
Uncharacteristically of most fathers, Bill served as a Brownie Scout leader and never missed one of their childhood activities from school plays to ice skating competitions. He was so very proud of the way they grew into such beautiful, talented and caring young women.
Bill also had a very special place in his heart for his two sisters, Sue and Nancy, taking special interests in their lives and those of their children, Gina, John, Tommy and Michelle offering his advice and help whenever and however he could.
Bill was born in Madison, Wisc., attended Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburg, Pa. and spent his freshman year of college at Chicago’s Northwestern University. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and was a lifelong Alabama football fan, knowing more stats than Howard Cosell.
Just this past fall he attended the A Day luncheon and game in Tuscaloosa and also two of the season’s games, including the Alabama/Auburn with his former college roommate Ron Grymkowski.
Among some of the other things in his life which Bill marked with pride was helping his father, John Carroll, grow their electronic wholesale distributorship, The Carroll Co. in Mobile and later his association with Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Los Angeles.
There he worked alongside Pastor Warren’s wife Kay on The Peace Plan as well as participating with Rick Warren on The Daniel Plan. The two of them talked together daily while walking around the lake on the church campus. In the spring of 2013 he joined a pilgrimage to Israel with friends he had made at Saddleback during his years spent in California.
Among his more recent activities Bill wrote the monthly newsletter for the Rev. Gary Browning’s Discovery Ministry, worked as a marshall at the Lake Forest Golf Club and served as president of the Lake Forest Condominium Association.
But after spending time with our daughters, his favorite pastime and passion was guiding the Baldwin County Middle School students as an enthusiastic and entertaining substitute teacher. Bill also relished his association and the time he was privileged to spend with the profound and prophetic Franciscan priest, retreat master and author Brennan Manning. Bill read most of Fr. Manning’s books, including “Abba’s Child,” “Ragamuffin Gospel” and “The Wisdom of Tenderness” which he shared with me last summer when he joined Kristin, Lauren and me along with Kristin’s wonderful fiancé Kurtis Sparrow and Lauren’s precious John Holman at the Gulf for two of the days and nights of the week we were there together. They were the best times of the entire week.
I am so grateful that over the last few years since Bill moved back to Alabama from California that the two of us were able to leave all our pain and regrets from the past behind and enjoy a loving and gentle friendship centered on our girls. I am certain he would want me to close by reminding us all to “be kind and gentle” with one another.
Thank you all for being with us this afternoon and for the love and support you continue to show Kristin and Lauren.
With love,
Cynthia
A memorial mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 15, 2015 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope.
Prayer of St. Frances De Sales
Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at Peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
Prayer of St. Francis Assisi
Lord, Make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow Love; where there is injury, Pardon; where there is doubt, Faith; where there is despair, Hope; where there is darkness, Light; and where there is sadness, Joy. Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
