Carol L. St. Mary

Castleton- Carol L. (Barton) St. Mary passed away peacefully at Samaritan Hospital on January 27, 2021, at the age of 79. Born on August 16, 1941, in Albany she lived most of her life in the East Greenbush and Castleton area. Carol graduated from Cardinal McCloskey High School (Class of 1959) and worked for over 30 years as a bookkeeper and retail store manager. At one point she owned her own pizza parlor. Carol is survived by her loving husband of 40 years Frank St. Mary; her daughters, Carolyn Donahue (John) of East Greenbush and Kim Pike (John) of Delmar; her son, Benjamin Karz, III (Alicia) of Brunswick; her grandchildren, Shannon Attanasio (James), John-Michael Donahue, Jr. (Abbie), Kaitlyn Pike and Troy Karz, and her great-granddaughter, Evelyn Attanasio. She is also survived by her step children, Richard Kelly, Randall Kelly and Wendy Drye. She is preceded in death by her mother, Magdalena E. Dybas, her father, Kenneth Barton, and her loving grandson, John Rapp, Jr. Carol’s best and most cherished years were spent in the saddle—an avid Western-style equestrian, competing at horse shows on the local level, including the Cambridge Saddle Club and various annual fairs in New York and other events. In the late 1990s into the early 2000s, she won the Champion and Reserve Champion titles aboard her favorite horse, Babe’s Musical Note. After her family, Carol’s number one love in her life were her horses and she could be seen day and night at the farm, riding, feeding, and cleaning the stalls. She loved all animals, big and small, especially her cats, Midnight, Tony, and Lily. Summer vacations at Hampton Beach with her husband, children, and grandchildren were one of Carol’s favorite times, where she would wade up to her knees in water, soak up the sun and salt air, deep sea fishing with her husband, play countless rounds of mini golf, and sometimes catch crabs with her grandsons in her makeshift traps. During these beach vacations, Carol’s favorite meal was Italian Wedding Soup at Mama Leone’s Restaurant, even on the hottest of days. Carol, who really enjoyed the sweeter things in life, never skipped on either the chocolate cake or tiramisu. Carol was the most peaceful and relaxed version of herself at the beach and her family loved seeing her in the beach state of mind. Carol loved birthdays and all types of family gatherings. Even if you did not necessarily want a birthday, Carol would insist on having a party. She turned 79 in August, and it was hard to tell who was more excited to eat the chocolate cake; Carol or her 4-year-old great-granddaughter, Evelyn. Giving gifts was Carol’s love language, which she showered upon her husband, children, their spouses and significant others, grandchildren and great grandchild so very much. Needless to say, there were always a ton of gifts, especially on Christmas. Always up for games of chance, Carol was a frequent patron of Saratoga Race Course and Casino and was never shy to make a wager or two. Even in her later years, she could never resist playing the slots with her husband or a day of shopping with her daughters. Funeral will be from the W.J. Lyons Jr. Funeral Home, 1700 Washington Avenue, Saturday, January 30, 2021, at 12:00p.m.  Relatives and friends are invited and may call prior to the service from 10AM- 12PM. Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, East Greenbush. Due to COVID-19, masks (completely covering the nose and mouth) are required, and social distancing will be practiced for the calling hours and at the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Carol in a special way may donate to Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Avenue, Menands, NY 12204. Condolence page at www.wjlyonsfuneralhome.com