Rita L. Carroll, of North Syracuse, passed away peacefully Friday morning. She was 89 and had been battling Alzheimer's disease, but she never lost her sweet disposition. Mrs. Carroll was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was never afraid to speak her mind or stand up for her family. She loved to laugh and enjoyed a good story. Mrs. Carroll was born Jan. 5, 1924, in Syracuse to Carl and Cecilia (Forbes) Langenmayr. She spent her early years in DeWitt, walking past Gustav Stickley's "chair factory" on the way to school. At age 8, the family bought a farm on Thompson Road in North Syracuse. Rita and her brothers attended a two-room school through eighth grade, went to Grange dances on Taft Road, and learned to enjoy life despite the Great Depression. She graduated from North Syracuse High School in 1941 and attended Powelson Business School, becoming a comptometer operator at Proctor and Gamble in Syracuse for $18 per week. One hot July day in 1942, when she and her brothers were cutting hay on the farm, she met her future husband, John C. Carroll of DeWitt. John stopped at the farm to gather Rita's older brothers, Carl and Ken, for a baseball game. Rita offered him a glass of switzel, a drink made with vinegar. John had never tasted anything as sour, or met a girl as sweet. The couple married Nov. 6, 1943, at Sacred Heart Church in Cicero. John's draft notice arrived the same day. Mrs. Carroll told the rest of her story for her class's 50th reunion: "I worked at G.E. through the war - until Johnny came marching home. We had four wonderful kids - John is a toolmaker like his father, Dick and Tom are dentists, and Sue is a journalist. They married equally wonderful people and now we have 11 near-perfect grandchildren. "After the kids were grown, Johnny thought I might get bored, so he involved me in his business, Carroll Machine Tool. "We're really enjoying retirement. We've traveled in the U.S. and Canada in our motor home and have been overseas several times. On one of our trips to Germany, we drove into East Germany to Karl Marx Stadt to try to locate a relative with whom I correspond - and we made that trip just a few months before the Berlin Wall came down. "We divide our time between our home on Thompson Road, our cottage on Oneida Lake, and spend our winters in Florida. "Johnny tells me the best is yet to come. What a pleasant thought!" Mrs. Carroll's love of family defined her life. In her 70s and 80s, her favorite fashion statement was a series of sweatshirts, all emblazoned with an 11-by-14-inch group photo of her grandchildren at Christmas. Each year, she made sure the kids gathered in her living room for a fresh photo. She was always ready to give a full accounting of their accomplishments to anyone who asked. Each grandchild knew they were Gram's favorite. Mrs. Carroll was predeceased by her husband in January 2012, and two brothers, Lt. Kenneth Langenmayr, an Army Air Corps pilot killed in action June 25, 1944, and Carl (2003). She is survived by one brother, Donald (Christine), of Florida; her sons John M. (Laura) of Fremont, Richard A. (Nancy) of Chittenango, Thomas M. (Marianne) of Bridgeport; daughter Sue (Stan) Linhorst of Manlius; 11 grandchildren, Elizabeth McMunn, Laura and John Carroll; Heather Carrington, Katie and Rich Carroll; Tom, Jessica and Alison Carroll; Michael and Molly Linhorst; and seven great-grandchildren, Shaelin McMunn, Anelise and Eamon Castrodale, Haven and Meadow Carroll, and Estelle and Liam Carroll. The calling hour will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Patrick's Church in Chittenango, followed by a Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery in Minoa. Thank you to the staff of Sunnyside Care Center for their kindness.

Published in Syracuse Post Standard from June 1 to June 2, 2013