Carol Ann McGuinness

Carol Ann McGuinness passed away suddenly at her home in Weatherford, Texas, on October 28, 2026. She was 82 years old.

Carol is survived by her son, Alekxander (Ernie) McGuinness; her daughter, Ana McGuinness; her grandchildren, John, Liam, Laurel, Claire, and Heather; her sister, Loraine Boyle; her brother, William Botkin, her step daughter Lorie McGuinnes; and the countless friends who knew and loved her, including Elmo Rabsatt and Winnifred Powell.

Born in New Jersey in 1943, no one could have predicted the adventures Carol's life would hold. Her life was as extraordinary as it was meaningful. Whatever she set her mind to, she mastered. She never settled for anything less than giving her best as a mother, grandmother, librarian, and friend. Among Carol's many superpowers was her remarkable ability to make people feel seen, valued, and important in a world that so often overlooks them. She loved deeply and honestly, and to call her loyal would be an understatement of cosmic proportions.

Carol grew up in New Jersey, attending Madison High School before heading to the University of Bridgeport, where she studied physical education. After graduating, she began her career in the New York public school system in Mount Kisco, New York. It was there that she met and married John McGuinness, the school's psychologist, and began building her family. Together, they raised two children, to whom Carol was an extraordinary mother. From homemade meals to crafts and countless everyday moments, she poured her time, creativity, and love into everything she did for her children.

Following John's passing in 1985, Carol returned to the workforce, joining the library at Darien High School in Connecticut. There, she befriended countless students and extended to them the same care and attention she had always given her own family. She transformed the library and its audiovisual club into welcoming spaces where students could find a sense of belonging and a place to call their own. For Carol, a library was never just a place filled with books; it was a place filled with possibility, connection, and people who mattered.

As her children grew older and pursued higher education, Carol's next great adventure brought her to the U.S. Virgin Islands. She settled on St. John, where she served as a librarian for 30 years. In addition to running the Elaine I. Sprauve Library, she organized summer reading programs that brought the joy of reading to generations of young people. Once again, she created a safe, welcoming, and meaningful place for her community.

Her service to St. John extended far beyond the library. Carol helped lead the local chapter of the American Red Cross and coordinated numerous disaster-response efforts following hurricanes that struck the island. She became a pillar of the community and an important part of the island's civic life. Over those 30 years, she witnessed profound changes in the islands and formed friendships that would last a lifetime. Winnifred Powell, Elmo Rabsatt, and so many others became family in every way that mattered. There are simply too many people whose lives she touched to name them all.

Eventually, health challenges forced Carol to leave the island and the community she had grown to love and return to the mainland. In 2024, she moved to Weatherford, Texas, to live with her son. True to form, she wasted little time making the most of her new surroundings. She took golf lessons at a local course, built friendships with the people around her (including her hairdresser), traveled to Ireland, and set about making a new community for herself. Even in a new place, Carol continued doing what she had always done: finding people, making connections, and turning strangers into friends.

Carol leaves behind a legacy that cannot be measured by the years she lived or the places she called home. It lives on in the students who found a welcoming place in her libraries, the young readers she encouraged, the communities she helped through difficult times, and, most importantly, the family and friends who were fortunate enough to be loved by her. She had a way of making people feel that they mattered, and that is a gift that will continue to live on in everyone who knew her.

She will be deeply missed by her family and friends, near and far.

In lieu of flowers, Carol would want you to go read a book and watch something trashy on television. Perhaps make something crafty for your family or simply spend time enjoying the things and people that make you happy. If you feel compelled to make a donation in her honor, donate your time to your local library. Read books to children. Invest in the future, just as she did.

That is how Carol lived: loving people, building community, and making the world a little more welcoming, one person at a time.