Carole Lee Windham

CAROLE LEE WINDHAM, age 85, died in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 1, 2024. Born in Washington, DC, on March 26, 1939, to adoring parents Ella Marie Martin Windham and James Aquilla Windham, Carole spent her childhood in Washington, DC, Mount Rainier and College Park, Maryland, and her adulthood in Laurel, College Park, Adelphi, and Riva, Maryland. After graduating from Northwestern High School (Hyattsville, Maryland) in 1957, she matriculated at the University of Maryland, College Park. While studying for her BA in Home Economics, which she received in 1961, Carole joined the Gamma Theta chapter of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, where she made many lasting friendships, and paid for her education by working at Wolpe Jewelers in College Park. She returned to UMCP to earn her MA in Education in the early 1980s.  

Throughout her youth, Carole attended Mount Rainier Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She sang alto in the choir and was an enthusiastic camper and counselor at the Christian Youth Fellowship summer conference in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Participating in the conference center’s first desegregated camp was a life-changing experience for her. In 1959, Carole joined the brand-new University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which remained her spiritual home until her death. She shared her talents with her fellow congregants in a number of capacities, most notably as a long-time leader of the Liturgical Arts Committee.

Carole spent most of her professional life teaching home economics at various public junior high, middle, and high schools in Prince George’s Country, Maryland, as well as writing numerous curricula for county and state home economics programs. She loved imparting her knowledge of fashion, foods, and child development to new generations.  Carole completed her teaching career at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, where she won accolades and awards for her teaching and renown for the costumes she helped design for many ERHS theater program musicals. (Hello, Dolly! was an especial favorite.)  She retired in 2005.  

 Carole was fiercely independent, fervent in her passions, and steadfast in her devotion to her many loved ones.  She was an accomplished sewist and crafter and enjoyed cooking, baking, reading, antiquing, and visiting historic homes and gardens. She adored being near the ocean, especially in Nantucket, Cape Cod, or Bethany Beach.  She loved chocolate, tea, and crabcakes; all things Scottish; rooting for the Maryland Terrapins; listening to Perry Como and other mid-century vocalists; watching classic movies and British sitcoms; Cocker spaniels and Scotties; hydrangeas, daffodils, and beach roses; and driving across the South River bridge in Riva.  

 Carole is survived by her daughter, Laura Marie Carpenter, and son-in-law, Jason Philip Miller, of Nashville, Tennessee; and her first cousins, Gerry Martin Pratt, Ronald (Bo) Martin, Bonnie Martin Velasco, Nancy Windham McGinness, Charles (Chuck) Windham, Fred Martin, and William (Bill) Martin and their families. All will cherish her memory. Carole’s beloved younger brother James Allan Windham preceded her in death in 2021.  

 A memorial event is being planned for this summer. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Carole, please consider giving to the Nantucket Historical Association (https://nha.org/join-give/giving/) or University of Maryland Alumni Association (https://alumni.umd.edu/about/support).