Carol L. Ferrara

November 3, 1936 - April 19, 2020

Carol Ferrara passed away at Lakes of Monclova Assisted Living on Sunday, April 19, 2020, at the age of 83. Carol was born in Toledo on November 3, 1936, to Donald E. Knuth and Florence R. (Ryan) Knuth. After graduating from DeVilbiss High School, Carol began working at Toledo Edison in the mailroom. She retired after 40 years at Edison as Supervisor of Customer Service. Carol married Samuel Ferrara in August 1969. Sam was the love of Carol’s life and they were inseparable. They celebrated 50 years of marriage with a party in August 2019. Carol and Sam attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Toledo. As snow birds, they enjoyed spending many winters at their condo in Cape Coral, Florida. Carol is survived by her husband, Samuel (Sam) Ferrara; brother in Fairfield, Connecticut, Donald F. Knuth (Mary Helen). She also leaves behind other relatives, nieces, and nephews who were special to her. Carol was preceded in death by her sister, Nancy A. (Knuth) Sutter and brother-in-law, Jude F. Sutter. Carol was a devoted wife, sister, aunt, and friend to so many. She will be missed. Arrangements are being handled by Coyle Funeral Home. Private burial at Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum. Due to current conditions and CDC Guidelines Coyle Funeral Home is strictly limiting in person visitation to only 10 people at a time. Monday, May 4, 2020 Live In Person Visitation Hours: 1:00pm - 3:00pm Live Stream of Visitation Hours: 1:00pm - 3:00pm Live Person Visitation Hours: Monday, May 4, 2020 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm To sign up to attend the In Person Visitation Hours for Carol Ferrara in person please click here to pick a half hour time slot. Once you register we will send you confirmation of the time of visitation and instructions for your arrival. Live Stream of Visitation Hours: Monday, May 4, 2020 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm For those who would like to participate in the Visitation Hours virtually from your car or home please click here anytime between 1:00pm and 3:00pm and you will be directly connected to the Live Stream. There will be the ability to chat with other family members who are also participating virtually. Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Private Ceremony for Immediate Family: 10:00am Live Stream of Carol’s Funeral: 10:00am Live Stream of Carol’s Funeral To attend the Live Stream Carol’s Funeral Service please click here anytime after 9:45am on Tuesday, May 5th and you will be directly connected to the Live Stream of Carol’s Funeral. Live Stream Funeral Registration To register for the Live Stream so you receive a reminder email and calendar invite click here. If you have any question or need technical assistance please contact us or call Consoleum at 419.513.2255 and they will assist you in registering or testing the links before the events begin. Leave condolence messages for the family at CoyleFuneralHome.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations to Alzheimer’s Association Toledo Ohio, or to a charity of your choice. Fly with the Angels, Carol! Carol L. (Knuth) Ferrara Memories From Kat (Kathy) Sutter (Niece) : Aunt Carol would come to our house when we were younger to babysit us. She would lay a blanket on the family room floor and we would have a picnic dinner of pot pies and cookies. We would watch the Wizard of Oz movie. It’s one of my favorite memories of Aunt Carol. From Kat (Kathy) Sutter (Niece): Aunt Carol and Uncle Sam’s wedding in August 1969 was just beautiful! I loved seeing my cousins at the wedding. We had fun dancing together and hanging out. From Scott Sutter (Nephew): Aunt Carol was my favorite aunt. I always looked forward to seeing her because Aunt Carol was so loving, fun, and sweet. She made all of us in the family laugh, filled us with joy, and lifted our spirits. From Sandy Sutter Pollex (Niece): Aunt Carol loved Christmas. I remember going to Gramcrackers’ (Grandma Knuth) home on Grantley Rd. for Christmas Eve. Aunt Carol would be there waiting for us all to arrive. She had Johnny Mathis playing on the white record player and a big punch bowl full of eggnog. Aunt Carol would take us girls and put hairspray on our hair and then add glitter in our hair so we could be festive for Christmas. We had so much fun! From Sandy Sutter Pollex (Niece): Aunt Carol would search for and find her wrapped Christmas presents way ahead of Christmas She would unwrap her Christmas presents from Gramcrackers and wear any clothes she might be getting to work at Toledo Edison. Then, Aunt Carol would carefully rewrap her gifts making sure the scotch tape was in the exact right place as before. My Mom, Nancy Knuth Sutter, Carol’s sister, would see Carol in these clothes because she also worked at Toledo Edison. My Mom was sworn to keep quiet and they both had to act surprised about Aunt Carol’s gifts on Christmas morning. From Scott Sutter (Nephew): Aunt Carol wasn’t shy about being silly and having fun. She loved Christmas. If her presents had bows on the wrapping paper, she would place the bows on her head and make a funny face for us to see. She would put some bows on Uncle Sam, too. Lucky Uncle Sam! You can see a picture of her in the Coyle Funeral Home video. Aunt Carol called her and Uncle Sam the frog and goose. As a result, they were “gifted” through the years with “valuable” frog and goose items. From Donald F. Knuth (Carol’s brother in Connecticut): I remember that after our Dad (Donald E. Knuth) passed away at the early age of 57, Carol moved out of her trailer where she had been living with a couple of girlfriends to move home with Mom (Florence R. Knuth “Gramcrackers”. Mom was having a hard time after Dad died and Carol really helped her out a lot. Carol took good care of Mom. From Donald F. Knuth (Carol’s brother in Connecticut): My wife, Mary Helen Knuth and I enjoyed going in the spring to visit Carol and Sam at their condo in Cape Coral, Florida. They gave Mary helen and I a reason to get to Florida for a vacation. We had fun touring the area together. We went to Sanibel Island and had fish dinners at their favorite seafood restaurant. We always looked forward to our family vacations in Florida with Carol and Sam. From Patrick Raftery (Sam’s nephew): My Mom, Lucy Raftery, who is Sam’s sister, received a funny candle hat for her 80th birthday. You can see this funny hat in Carol’s Coyle Funeral Home video. My Mom gave Sam the hat to wear for his 80th birthday and Carol wore it for her 80th birthday as well. Our family now has a tradition with this funny candle hat. From Bob Pollex (Sandy’s husband): Aunt Carol and Uncle Sam had a comfy Lazy Boy chair on their lanai patio at their condo in Cape Coral, Fl. My wife, Sandy, and I visited Aunt Carol and Uncle Sam a couple of times at Cape Coral. I ended up loving their Lazy Boy chair and spent a good amount of time reading books and watching the water from that chair. Aunt Carol began to call their chair, “Bob’s Chair”. Aunt Carol teased anyone else who tried to sit in that chair that they couldn’t do so because it was “Bob’s Chair”. She said they should sit somewhere else. At first everyone thought she was serious (She was! Tee Hee!), but knew she was kidding around when she smiled that big smile of hers. From Sandy Sutter Pollex (Niece): Aunt Carol loved St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. She was part Irish from her Mom, Florence RYAN Knuth. Aunt Carol would celebrate the Irish holiday by wearing items from her crazy collection of St. Patrick’s Day paraphernalia, such as green clothes, hats, scarfs, boas, and buttons. Uncle Sam, good Italian husband, would get into the spirit of the Irish holiday and wear green, too. It was a great time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Aunt Carol. From Sam Ferrara (Carol’s Husband): Do you remember the 1991 movie, “Thelma and Louise” starring Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma? Carol had a friend at Lakes of Monclova Nursing Home named Joan Marie Lee. Carol and Joan Marie became buddies and enjoyed each other’s company. The two of them visited each other quite often and may have caused a bit of mischief. Carol and Joan Marie became known as “Thelma and Louise” at Lakes of Monclova. There’s a saying that’s fitting for these two ladies: “Well-behaved women rarely make history”. Both Carol and Joan Marie died the same day, Sunday, April 19, 2020. Their obituaries were in The Blade newspaper the same day. They are up in heaven whooping it up together! From Sam Ferrara (Carol’s Husband): Carol and I had a bicycle built for two that we rode all over the place back in the day. We spent many hours on that bike together. I would be the driver in the front and Carol pedaled in the back. One time, we were riding in Michigan near the Wehrle home. Somehow, I wasn’t looking forward as I should have been, and all of a sudden, I hit the Wehrle mailbox. Carol and I both flew off the bike. Luckily, we weren’t hurt. Another time near the railroad tracks on Bancroft St., we got our front bicycle wheel caught between the tracks. We flew off the bike. Again, we thankfully weren’t hurt. Most of our bicycle rides were very uneventful and fun. From Josephine (Josie) Robb (Sam’s Sister): Carol was very creative and crafty. She enjoyed knitting beautiful washcloths. Carol would sit, watch TV, and knit. She was very generous and gave these washcloths to family members. We all loved to receive these washcloths as gifts because they were so sturdy and useful. From: Patrick Raftery (Sam’s Nephew): Carol always dressed very professionally for work and family events. She was always nicely put together regarding her wardrobe choices. Carol and Sam would often color coordinate their outfits together. They made a handsome couple. From: Lucy Raftery (Sam’s Sister): My brother, Sam, was the baby of the family, youngest of 6 children of Samuel and Josephine Ferrara. Sam had an older brother and 4 older sisters. Carol would say that when she married Sam, she felt like his sisters became her sisters. Carol was blessed to be very close to Sam’s sisters and family. From Sally Knuth (Niece from Connecticut): I remember a time sitting on Aunt Carol’s bed closely watching as she was getting ready for a date with “Sam Sam the Man”. Aunt Carol was sitting at her make up table that had 3 lighted mirrors. She said the lights and mirrors were so she could see all sides of her face and hair. She had to look her best. She said she didn’t want this one to get away meaning Uncle Sam. Sam came to get her and off they went. We used to tease him badly because we loved him so much. Sam was always a good sport. From Patrick Raftery (Sam’s Nephew): Carol, for a long while, had trouble with her voice. Carol‘s voice sounded hoarse, as if she had a sore throat all of the time. Eventually, her voice got so bad she had to whisper to talk and communicate. Carol went to various doctors who tried ways to treat her. Carol was determined to continue with work at Edison and found a way to make her voice heard over the phone in Toledo Edison Customer Service. Carol was struggling, but she couldn’t be quieted!! Eventually, her voice came back. Carol wouldn’t let anything slow her down or quiet her. From Kat (Kathy) Sutter (Niece): I used to drive with my Dad (Jude Sutter) and my Mom (Nancy Knuth Sutter) to Cape Coral, Florida. We rented a place for a couple of weeks to be nearby to visit with Aunt Carol and Uncle Sam at their condo. We had a wonderful time going to the park together and picnicking near the water. We all went to Sanibel Island for a few days to relax and look for shells. I loved our Florida time together. From Josephine (Josie) Robb (Sam’s Sister): My late husband, Jim Robb, and I had a place in Cape Coral, Florida. Our place was just 5 minutes away from my brother Sam’s place. We went to visit Sam and Carol often. We especially enjoyed the delicious dinners Carol would prepare. Carol was so organized. She made detailed lists of what she was serving and when each item needed to be prepared or cooked. She would check her lists and everything would usually come off beautifully. Carol, a couple of times, did lose her lists. Then, she would just wing it and no one really knew the difference. I have fond memories of time spent in Florida with Jim, Sam and Carol. From Sandy Sutter Pollex (Niece): Uncle Sam used to work as a record distributor. Uncle Sam, because of this job, had an extensive record collection. When Uncle Sam and Aunt Carol first lived in their home on Barstow in West Toledo, they didn’t have much furniture yet in their dining room. So, when my siblings and my cousins and I would go over to Uncle Sam and Aunt Carol’s home, we would get to dance in our socks on the hardwood floor to all of the records Sam would put on the record player. It was like we had our own sock hop. We had a blast slipping and sliding to the “groovy” music. Uncle Sam says he still has his record collection today. I told Sam that vinyl is popular again and that his collection is valuable. From Scott Sutter (Nephew): I used to own a home and guest house in Key West, Florida. I remember a time when my family and Uncle Sam and Aunt Carol came for a visit. Aunt Carol had fun playing in the pool with my sister, Kat, and with my Mom, Nancy. Aunt Carol and my Mom were close as sisters. Aunt Carol was always supportive of my Mom during her life when my Mom endured Multiple Sclerosis (MS). From Sam Ferrara (Husband): Carol and I had a sheep dog we named Martini. We loved Martini and she was a big part of our family. Early on, Carol and I wanted to go spend some time in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. We only had a little sports car to drive to Florida. We didn’t want to leave Martini home or to board her. Carol said to just take her with us. I couldn’t believe it, but Martini jumped into the car and found a place to sit. So, off the 3 of us go to Florida crammed into this sports car. What a sight we must have been! Along the way, we stopped for a break at a restaurant/hotel. While I’m busy paying the bill, Carol is letting Martini out for a walk. All of a sudden, Martini falls into the hotel pool. Carol is waving her arms at me to get my attention and at the same time she is trying to get Martini out of the pool. Once we all are back in the car to continue our journey to Florida, Martini shakes her wet fur and soaks us both! Luckily, it was a warm day. It was like the Keystone Cops on vacation! Patrick Raftery (Nephew): Sam received a train set when he was young that he truly prized. Sam and Carol decided to display the train set in a village setting on a ping pong table in their spare room. This was a big project that they both worked many hours on together. The project was a labor of love and kept them busy. They had small towns with tiny trees and miniature people. Everything was miniature but the train. The train would run through the village. Each item needed to be painted or constructed and glued down. The lights worked and the train’s horn honked. We loved to watch the train run in this very special miniature village that Sam and Carol made. The set is still in their home today. From Scott Sutter (Nephew): In early March of this year 2020, on a Friday afternoon, I visited Aunt Carol at Lakes of Monclova Nursing Home. It was the last time I got to see Aunt Carol. It was Friday happy hour at the nursing home. A one man band played delightful blues music. Aunt Carol was in the best spirits that day. She was even singing in a soft tone, tapping her finger. Aunt Carol was enjoying a cookie Sam had brought her. She was smiling. I’m glad this was the last way I saw her. She fell ill with a fever on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. She was never able to recover. She sadly fell victim to the relentless corona virus. She is in heaven now with our other loved ones. FLY WITH THE ANGELS, CAROL, BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ANGEL NOW, TOO! We all love you very much! Love, Your Family Carol Ferrara Preceded in Death by: Father Donald E. Knuth Mother Florence R. (Ryan) Knuth Sister Nancy A. (Knuth) Sutter Brother-in-law Jude F. Sutter Carol Ferrara Survived by: Brother Donald F. Knuth Sister-in-law Mary Helen Knuth Niece Lynn (Knuth) Hurster (Steve) Nephew Tom Knuth (Nancy) Niece Sally Knuth Nephew Doug Knuth (Marci) Niece Sandy Sutter Pollex (Robert) Niece Kat (Kathy) Sutter (Jeff) Nephew Scott Sutter (Blair) Carol Ferrara Preceded in Death by: Sam’s Father Samuel Ferrara Sam’s Mother Josephine Bono Ferrara Sam’s Brother Joseph Ferrara Sam’s Sister-in-law Mary Ann Ferrara Sam’s Sister Marie Ferrara Sam’s Brother-in-law Walter Raftery Sam’s Brother-in-law John Mitro Sam’s Brother-in-law James Robb Carol Ferrara Survived by: Sam’s Sister Rose Mitro Nephew Steve Mitro (Julie) Nephew William (Bill) Mitro Sam’s Sister Josephine (Josie) Robb Sam’s Sister Lucy Raftery Nephew Patrick Raftery (Marla) Nephew Tim Raftery (Ellen) Niece Andrea Raftery Nephew Walter Raftery (Bobbie Jo) Niece Mary (Mark) Sam’s Nephew Andrew Ferrara (Janet) Sam’s Nephew Chris Ferrara (Debra) Sam’s Niece Kathleen (Ferrara) DeJacino (Eugene) Sam’s Niece Deanna (Ferrara) Christian (David)