Carol C. Sellon died peacefully on Christmas Eve, 2023 at her home in Rye, N.Y., surrounded by her family. She was 88.
Born on March 22, 1935, to Ruth and Matthew Connery, Carol graduated from Mamaroneck High School. She briefly attended Mary Baldwin College before marrying the love of her life, Peter Sellon of Rye Brook, N.Y., in 1956. The pair met as camp counselors in Mamaroneck.
While raising her three children, she earned an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Development at Sarah Lawrence College. She went on to teach kindergarten and first grade at Rye Country Day School.
Carol Sellon loved the community of Rye, where she lived for more than half a century, and was involved with and supportive of the Rye Twig, the Rye Garden Club, the Rye Historical Society, the Knapp House, and the Jay Heritage Center.
Passionate about creating beautiful homes and gardens, she loved to host family and friends at her homes in Rye, Telluride, Colo., and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
Always energetic and athletic, she skied, and played tennis and golf at both Westchester Country Club and Apawamis Club. Later in life, she enjoyed watching her grandchildren learn to play tennis and sail at American Yacht Club.
She inherited her fine artistic talents from her mother, Ruth, but developed her own style. Her most recent works, painted in her small, waterside studio, included a series of impressionist landscapes of Long Island Sound.
“Our mother was a beautiful woman who created a beautiful world around her,” said her daughter Karen Mulhern. “It was a privilege to be along for the ride.”
Predeceased by her husband Peter, Carol Sellon is survived by her children, Chris (Lynn), Karen (Matt), and Mark (Allison); eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She will be dearly missed.
A memorial service will be held February 11 from 12 to 3:30 p.m. at American Yacht Club in Rye.