Carol Chappell

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Carol Chappell on December 18, 2024. Carol grew up in Asheville, NC, the only child of the late John and Marie Stroud Nadolski, and the first grandchild of William and Gladys Stroud of the Broad River Community. After graduating from Lee H. Edwards High School she enrolled at Western Carolina College (now University). She began her 22-year career as a Flight Attendant with Eastern Airlines in 1968, based in Atlanta, GA, until the airline’s closure in 1991. During her tenure at Eastern she received her law degree and was admitted to the bar in 1984. After Eastern’s closure she transitioned to a legal career, originally with Resolution Trust Corporation, and then with Social Security for 20 years where she wrote disability decisions, retiring in 2019. She is survived by Aunts Ruth S. Ford of Asheville, and Carolyn S. Faris of Charlotte, and Uncle Larry E. Stroud and wife Nancy of Stone Mountain, GA. She was a much loved “Auntie Carol” by her Stroud cousins, and was extremely close to each and every one, having known them since birth. They are William H. Myers and wife Cindy and their sons Ben and Sam of MD; Robert A. Myers and Karen and their children Hadley, Heather, and Zachary of CT; Paula Ford of Asheville; Don Ford and wife Shuwei and their children Leon and Leigh of AL; Ronald Stroud and wife Tracy and their children Hunter, Davis and Taylor of GA; Elliott Stroud and wife Hai and their children Lanyi and Ethan of VA; Susan Cannella and husband Brian and their children Austin and Caroline of Charlotte; Leslie Pettit and husband Scott and their children Parker and Chase of FL. “Auntie Carol” was famous for organizing fun events for the younger cousins during the annual Thanksgiving gathering at Broad River. Carol would purchase toys throughout the year and would bring them all to Broad River, carefully displaying them on a large table. The kids would draw numbers and each child would take turns picking one toy at a time until all toys were gone. Carol also extended an open invitation to all the younger cousins to stay with her at “the Ramada” where there were no rules or parents to ruin their fun. Everyone would enjoy an endless supply of treats from the snack machine and all the soda they could drink. She would treat them to meals in nearby restaurants, and take them to the famous “Fun Depot” for an afternoon of video games, rock wall climbing, putt-putt and go-cart racing. The room would become trashed in no time, but Carol never minded the mess, and was perfectly content with a room full of kids, empty snack wrappers, soda cans and personal belongings strewn about. Brushing of teeth was not required. The kids relished being in her presence, and she thrived on engaging them in conversation. The kids loved playing on Carol’s many electronic devices, enjoying games of bingo or watching movies. Carol was truly a kid at heart. One of her favorite sayings was “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” She was particularly close with her Nadolski cousin Stanley Pazyk and wife Kitty of WV; and enjoyed occasional family reunions with Nadolski cousins Mary Lou Lyon, Patty Hill, Tom Nadolski, Nancy Elliott, Mike Nadolski and Ed Nadolski. She remained close with her childhood friend Kay Rector Moody and her college roommate Neta Lee. A private family memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Everyone who knew Carol knew how much she loved her cats. In lieu of flowers, any memorial donations could be made to any feline advocacy group or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Condolences can be sent to the family at scannella28211@gmail.com