Obituary of Carol (Collins) Shanley

With family at her side, Carol (Collins) Shanley, beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother, lost her battle with vascular dementia peacefully at home in Manchester, CT on April 16, 2018. She leaves to mourn her passing her 3 devoted daughters and sons-in-law; Kathleen and David Guay of South Windsor, CT; Deborah and Stephen Moorhouse of Manchester, CT; and Cynthia and Steven Dykstra of Palmer, MA. She also will be missed by her cherished grandchildren and their families; Kathleen and Andrew Denninger of Brighton, MA; Daniel Moorhouse of Manchester, CT; Samuel Dykstra of Brooklyn, NY; Elizabeth Guay of South Windsor, CT; Emily and Jon Murray and their son Liam of Thompson, CT; and Christopher Guay of South Windsor, CT.

Carol was known as a very social and outgoing person. She adored her family and friends and loved spending time with them. One of her favorite activities was the 35 year tradition of Saturday afternoon lunches at her favorite local restaurants with her daughters and grandchildren. She was also fond of visits to Maine, Boston Red Sox games, Broadway musicals, delicious New York City cuisine, UCONN basketball games, talking politics, and one of her favorite pastimes: recreational shopping. All of which were done (affectionately so named by her grandchildren) on “Grandma time.”

Carol was born on March 27, 1934 to Gerard P. and Madeline (Taggett) Collins of Bangor, Maine. She was predeceased by her beloved brother Michael in 1985. She spent her childhood in Bangor, graduating from Bangor High School in 1952 where she was known for her beautiful blue eyes and vivacious personality. After high school, Carol moved to Boston to attend college.  While in Boston pursuing her degree, she met her first love, Robert (Bob) Shanley. They married on April 16, 1955 in Bangor, ME and settled in South Boston, MA where their love story began.

In 1963, to pursue Bob’s career in public housing finance, Carol and Bob moved to Hartford, where they lived in Bowles Park. Carol’s time living in Bowles Park gave her a lifelong appreciation of the need for housing security; to her, safe and affordable housing was a civil right.

After the family moved to Manchester in 1966, Carol also became a housing professional. She managed affordable and elderly projects in Manchester and Mansfield. Bob died suddenly in 1982. Three months after Bob died, Carol was named the first female executive director of the Manchester Housing Authority. At the MHA, she worked as a tireless advocate for the elderly and those in need of affordable housing. She worked there until she retired in 2007.

Carol found the second love of her life, John W. Thompson (Jack) whom she wed in 2005. Carol and Jack enjoyed their life together, attending Broadway plays, UCONN basketball games, legislative pancake breakfasts and Kennebunkport beaches. Carol lost Jack in October 2016.

After Carol’s dementia diagnosis, she and her family decided she would be happier living at home. As her condition worsened, it was clear that she could not have remained safely in her home without the help from her full-time caregivers Enjoli and Lola as well as her nurses Heather and Donna from the Vernon Visiting Nurses who supported both Carol and her family during this trying time.

Per Carol’s wishes, funeral services and burial will be private. If desired, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to Manchester Area Conference of Churches P.O. Box 3804 Manchester, CT 06045-3804 or www.macc-ct.org. For online condolences visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com