Carolea F. (Gardocki) Schindo

Carolea Frances (Gardocki) Schindo, 74, of Woodbury passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 20th, 2024.  Born May 13th, 1949 in Port Chester, New York, a daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Zadlo) Gardocki. 

Carolea graduated from Port Chester High School in New York. She had quite a varied occupational history.  As a young woman she was a leg model and fashionista who was an avid collector of shoes.  Later on she worked at a testing lab whereby her love of animals resulted in her adopting her pet monkey “Sambo”.  She would rescue any animal that needed a little extra TLC. Later in life she adopted a pitbull named Ali who was her pride and joy and her partner in crime cat named Stella. She also held occupations as a teachers aide at Midland Elementary School in Rye, New York. During her retiremenet she worked as a customer service associate at Walmart in New Milford, Connecticut for 5 years and ensured all the customers had a friendly and helpful sales expierence.

Carolea enjoyed cooking and had a sweet tooth for all kinds of deserts. She was a fantastic cook with her credo of abundance, zest and flavor made her dishes delicious. She was known for her chicken cutlets and Italian cuisine. In her spare time she enjoyed reading Sylvia Brown books and had quite a collection. She was a generous and kind hearted woman who would readily open her home to her family and friends should they need anything.  Carolea had a profound love for her immediate and extended family. Her children brought her joy watching them achieve their goals and accomplishments. While her oldest son Charlie was growing up, Carolea was the ever-present cheerleader at his baseball games, encouraging him to continue on in his perseverance of athletic perfection.   Her daughters Crystal and Caren cared for her lovingly in her later years of infirmity, finding the time they had together to bond as adults and creating new memories.  Playing cards, Bingo and “dress up” with new and sometimes funny hairdos brought laughter.

Left to cherish her love and memory are Carolea’s children: Charlie Schindo and his wife Monica of Florida, Caren Lipinski of Woodbury and Crystal Schindo of Woodbury as well as her grandchildren Daniela and Brandon Schindo and Michael and Matthew Lipinski.  Her grandchildren were the light of her life. She loved spending her time with her grandchildren and watching them grow through the years.

Carolea had a strong Catholic faith and during her last days of life, her faith brought her comfort knowing that she would finally be reunited with her son David after so many years apart.  May she rest peacefully in the love of God in heaven and be able to see her son once again.

Family and friends are invited to visit with Carolea’s family on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 from 5:30 pm to 7:00pm at Prospect Memorial/The Palmerie Family Funeral Home, 122 Waterbury Rd., Prospect.  A service of remembrance and celebration will then follow at 7:00 pm at the funeral home.  Prospect Memorial/ The Palmerie Family Funeral Home is honored to be caring for Carolea and her family throughout this journey of grief.  Please share your favorite memories, photos and words of comfort on this website on Carolea’s Tribute Wall.

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