A caring daughter, devoted wife, and loving mother, Carol Ann Clark passed away on July 4, 2026, at her residence in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was 85 years old.

Carol had many occupations over the years, but is perhaps best remembered as a homemaker, a caregiver for her parents, husband, and children, a private pilot, an antiques dealer, and a World traveler. The second of three children, Carol grew up in a modest home in Englishtown, New Jersey, along with her older brother Neal and her younger brother Colin. As a young woman, Carol’s prized possession was a Triumph TR3 automobile. It took years of savings to make a down payment on the car, and her father had to co-sign the loan, but it was all hers. An ostentatious, two-door, sports car that went fast and hugged the road, Carol gleefully (and sometimes impetuously) tore along the back roads of Englishtown with her new car, often to the envy of her friends and co-workers.

After marrying in 1961, Carol embarked on a venture with her new husband Edward to purchase and renovate a four-family apartment building in Farmingdale, New Jersey. Although the prospect of owning rental property intimidated Carol at first, she embraced the challenge, working side-by-side with her husband, sometime late into the evening, to renovate and rent each unit. Later, after the birth of her son Edward Jr. in 1967, Carol again joined her husband to buy and renovate a “fixer-upper” single-family Dutch Colonial-style home in Howell Township, New Jersey. Carol gave birth to her second child, Alison, in 1970. Over the years, Carol helped to create and maintain a lovely home and a nurturing environment for her two children.

In the early 1970s, Carol became infatuated with the idea of flying and began taking flight lessons at the Monmouth Flight Training Center in Wall Township, New Jersey. As the only female student at the flight school, Carol sometimes found it difficult to navigate her position in what was, at the time, a male dominated profession and culture. Nevertheless, Carol persevered and in 1975 earned the right to fly solo and obtained her pilot’s license. It was a tremendous accomplishment, especially at a time when very few women were learning to fly.

In the 1980s, Carol became interested in collecting “Depression Glass” and began attending yard sales, flea markets, and other events in the hopes of finding and purchasing antique glassware. What started out as a small hobby soon expanded as Carol’s collections grew to include antique furniture, artwork, and other interesting items. Although not particularly tech-savvy at first, Carol learned to harness the power of the Internet to buy and sell numerous items through online marketplaces, generating a much-needed second source of income for her family. One of Carol’s greatest finds was a Navaho-made, hand-woven basket. Purchased at a yard sale for a nominal price, the basket was later recognized as an authentic Native American artifact and sold at auction for a substantial profit.

In marriage, Carol realized a childhood dream of traveling the World both with her family and on her own, visiting Australia, Bermuda, Egypt, England, Germany, France, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe among other locations. Carol also traveled extensively throughout the United States visiting nearly every state and visiting many National Parks and other attractions. While Carol loved and appreciated all of the National Parks, her memories of Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion Nation Park have special significance. Some of Carol’s favorite travel memories include holding a lion cub in Africa and petting gray whales on an expedition in Baja California.

After the death of her husband in 2007 and after surviving the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Carol sold her home in New Jersey and moved to Minnesota to start a new, more carefree life in retirement. In 2013, Carol moved into a newly renovated 12th floor apartment in Edina. Carol became known in her community as “the walker” and was known to frequent local parks and other nearby attractions. Carol fondly remembers the view from her apartment window in Edina where she often paused to appreciate the skyline of Minneapolis and watch the planes come and go from Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport. Carol spent many happy years in Minnesota, taking advantage of the theatres, museums, and other cultural offerings available in the Twin Cities and beyond. In need of additional assistance, Carol spent her final two years in St. Paul under the watchful care of her children and the wonderful staff at her home.

Carol is survived by her brother, Colin Burke; her son, Edward Clark; her daughter, Alison DelVecchio; her daughter-in-law, Nhu-Trang Nguyen; her grandson, Frank J. DelVecchio; and her granddaughter, Avery C. DelVecchio.