Carolyn Lee
Carolyn Lee Obituary
Carolyn Lee, 76, of Sudbury, MA passed away in peace, surrounded by family and friends on Monday September 9, 2024. Born in Roseburg, Oregon on November 20, 1947, the daughter of Preston Lee and Margaret Lee (Missler). She grew up with outdoor camps, beaches, the Umpqua River and Crater Lake.
Carolyn graduated from Roseburg High School in 1966 and attended a National Science Foundation summer camp. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 1970 and her MS in 1972. Science and Engineering were part of her entire life. Being a woman on that path was not easy at that time. Towards the end of her professional career, she attended Andover Newton Seminary to better understand the faiths of others.
Her career began at Babcock and Wilcox in Lynchburg, Virgina working on polymer composite materials. Next was Polaroid in Massachusetts in the Film division in New Bedford, R&D in Waltham and the Battery division in Waltham. She then went to Millipore in Bedford, MA working on membrane coating for filtration products, especially for life science applications.
She and Gabe began their lives together in a rented group house in Lincoln, MA in what was known as Brown’s Woods. They moved to Sudbury in 1975 living in the first house for 13 years and the current for 35 Years. Always active with gardening including growing orchids, they built two greenhouses and planted everything growing at the current house. Cooking was another passion – mostly improvisational. Sourdough starter received from a neighbor at the first house in 1975 is still going in the refrigerator. She developed considerable skill as a painter with Acrylic, Watercolor and Pastel. Her artwork will remain on their website: https://tipplingrockcreative.net/
Carolyn, Gabe and “the Boys” traveled, backpacked and hiked all over the country over the last 52 years to places like Acadia, Lassen, Bryce, Monument Valley, Newfoundland, Arches, Zion, Chaco, Death Valley, Olympics, Adirondacks, Tetons, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, 4 Total Eclipses, Big Bend, Capitol Reef, Joshua Tree, Cape Cod, Mesa Verde, Second Mesa, Betatakin, Wupatki, Canyonlands, El Malpais, Gila, Black Hills, Custer, Escalante, Willis Creek, Lava Beds, Wire Pass, Antelope, Cape Bretton, White Mountains, “to name a few”. Many of these trips involved driving clear across the country and back. The record is probably for the 2017 total eclipse camped at Farewell Bend on the Snake River in eastern Oregon – 40 days and 8,254 miles. The annual October pilgrimage to Acadia went 51 years. Going to concerts and visiting art museums and galleries was always in the plans. With Millipore, she traveled the planet visiting customers and understanding their needs. Art, music and nature were part of her soul. She learned to read music before words at 3. She played piano, flute and piccolo and was a member of the Maynard Community Band. During Covid, she also played with the Sudbury Valley New Horizons Band.
Those who knew her often said “she is a force of nature”. She was very active and passionate with these organizations:
First Parish of Sudbury
The League of Women Voters
Maynard Community Band
Lincoln Sudbury Friends of Music
Carolyn is survived by her husband and True Companion, Stephen Gabeler – Gabe, and two sons, Matthew of Arlington and Russell of Sudbury. She loved them dearly and that will live on with them. She will also leave a big hole in the hearts of many along with countless good memories.
There will be no traditional funeral service. A Memorial Service will be held at First Parish of Sudbury to celebrate her life in the Spring, 2025 at a time and date to be announced. Also in the spring, her family will scatter her ashes in singular places in her life including Acadia, near Susan Creek off the Umpqua, at First Parish and in her gardens.
Arrangements are by the Dewhirst Boles Funeral Home, 80 Broadway, Methuen, MA. To leave an online condolence, please visit Carolyn's tribute page at www.dewhirstbolesfuneral.com.
Memorial contributions can be made in her name to any of these organizations which she supported:
https://www.lwv.org/about-us/ways-give
https://fpsudbury.org/community/support-first-parish/
https://www.svtweb.org/support/legacy-giving-svt
https://oars3rivers.org/get-involved/waystogive/donate/
https://www.massaudubon.org/take-action/donate
https://friendsofacadia.org/membership-giving/donate/
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