Carol J. LaCaprucia

Carol Joyce LaCaprucia, 93, beloved wife for 68 years to the late Anthony W. LaCaprucia “Mickey”, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, May 1. Born on December 24, 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut, she was the daughter of Gaetana and Marco Maimone and from a very early age the stepdaughter of Rose Parisi Maimone. She was devoted to her two daughters, Angelica L. Burton and Diane L. Melton. Her grandchildren were the light of her life: William Paul Melton III, Courtney Melton Wilkes and her husband Matthew and Crawford William Melton and his wife Lauren. She always supported the goals and dreams of all of her children and grandchildren and was a constant and steady support they could count on.

Her great grandchildren brought her an abundance of joy: Meredyth, Natalie, Halligan, Baylor, Brooke, David and Morgan.

She leaves her loving brother-in-law Frank LaCaprucia and wife Denise, her caring nephew and godson Mark Malone and Fred Malone and her LaCaprucia nieces and nephews: Sharon, Linda, Marco, Kathy, Cynthia, Debbie and Steven.

Carol a remarkably strong woman left Connecticut to follow her high school sweetheart Mickey on their journey as a military family. Carol was the exemplary model of a military wife. It was a role she took seriously as she educated and guided the younger generation of military wives through the ups and downs of being a part of military life. Carol herself was a woman strong in her Catholic faith which helped sustain her through many prolonged duty separations from her husband. She gracefully accepted ten moves and quietly started from scratch to make new homes for her family from Hawaii to Chicago. In her early years her “work”was volunteering with Army Community Services and her daughter’s schools. She spent hours each week with the American Red Cross as a Gray Lady. The year before she and Mickey decided to retire to sunny, South Carolina her consistent hard work was recognized. She was chosen as Military Wife of the Year. When Carol wasn’t volunteering you would find her playing golf, mahjong or bridge. After moving to Columbia she remained a fiercely competitive bridge player and actually played with the same group of ladies in Columbia for over fifty years. Recently in her later years she decided to learn the game of hand and foot and spent many hours of fun playing with her neighbors.

Carol and Mickey enjoyed traveling together whether it was to the National Retired Military Golf Classic at Myrtle Beach for twenty five years or their amazing trips to Egypt, Greece, Germany, Austria, and Italy. They took numerous cruises with their “couples group.” After her daughters went to college, Carol found a wonderful job working at Providence Hospital in their gift shop and ultimately accepted a full time position of managing the Baptist Hospital Gift Shop. Because of her history of volunteerism, she was able to gather and keep numerous male and female volunteers to work alongside her for over a decade and they reached their goal to raise thousands of dollars to donate medical equipment to Baptist. Before retiring, she decided to design and oversee the build of a brand new shop. It was attractive and inviting to visitors and employees alike and because of her trips to the Mart in Atlanta, always resulted in the newest, most interesting items for sale.

Carol was predeceased by her sisters Gaetana Malone and Roxanne Mascolo and also by her sister-in-law Patricia Collins and her husband Edward and son John, brother-in-laws Patrick and Blaise LaCaprucia and nephew Blaise.

Visitation will be Monday May 11th from 5:00 until 7:00 o'clock, at Shives Funeral Chapel, 7600 Trenholm Road Extension. The Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 am May 12 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 100 Polo Road with The Rev. Father Robert Higgins officiating. Final farewell prayers will follow at 12 noon at Fort Jackson National Cemetery.

Our family thanks all of her dear friends for their constant love and support throughout the last 52 years in Columbia. A special thanks to her close neighbors, Vicki and Al, Caroline, Rozz and Carson who were fun companions but also there to help during this difficult year.

Carol will be remembered as an exemplary mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and a loyal friend.

A special thanks to Paige Rogers who was a constant source of help to both of Carol's daughters during her illness. To her Bright Star caregivers; Elizabeth, Candace, Delaney and Andrea thank you for your compassion while assisting Carol.

To her hospice nurses; Pam, Ada, Jason, and Kathy your professional, and knowledgeable support, combined with your kindness to Carol and her family will not be forgotten.

Donations may be sent in her honor to Special Olympics of South Carolina, PO Box 1479, Columbia, SC 29202 St. Jude Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation PO Box 368 Woodland Hills, CA 91365.