Carol “Cici” Caswell, 1929–2021

Carol Caswell

Carol Bradley Caswell passed away on December 13 in Lincoln at the age of 92. Born Carolyn Fontaine Bradley in Washington, D.C., she attended the Potomac School, the Madeira School and Briarcliff Jr. College. After marrying John Caswell, also of Washington, they lived in Cambridge, Mass.for a short period and then moved to southern California for five years. She and John also spent two years on Kwajalein atoll in the South Pacific while John managed the Raytheon installation there.

Carol and John moved back to the East Coast and settled into Lincoln, where they raised their five children. Carol was active in the Junior League of Boston, loved her plants, and enjoyed playing and watching tennis. Her grandchildren love seeing the picture published from time to time in the Boston Globe of Carol hiding out of sight behind Julia Child on the kitchen set of WGBH, where she volunteered collecting and cleaning her cooking utensils.

She loved staying connected to her family both near and far, and for many years she and John spent a part of their winters on Longboat Key, Fla. As a child, she treasured her time at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake, N.H., a tradition that has continued with her own family and her brother’s family ever since. The house in Westport Island, Maine, where she and John loved to visit, continues to nurture and grow the bonds of family.

As a volunteer, she was the assistant tax collector for the town of Lincoln for several years and volunteered for a number of other town organizations. She was an active member of the St. Anne’s Church Altar Guild and chair of the Commission of Trust Funds. Upon becoming one of the first residents of The Commons in Lincoln, she was active on the Residents Committee, continuing her tie to the town that lasted more than 64 years. 

“Cici” cherished her children and grandchildren above all else. Her greatest desire was to spend time with them and hear about their adventures and achievements. She was so gracious that she always asked about you and how you were rather than telling you about herself. Her self-deprecating humor and wry wit could catch you by surprise until you saw the mischievous twinkle in her eye. Her lasting legacy and one of the greatest joys of her life was annually hosting her family together for a week away, building a bond of love and caring throughout the generations.

She was predeceased by her younger brother Frederick Bradley and her husband of 60 years, John Ross Caswell. She leaves her dear friend Dr. Jerome Perry and his family ,who have added years to her life and life to her years after the passing of her husband John.

Carol is survived by her brother Thomas Bradley and his wife Anna (Washington, D.C.); her children Brad and Fran (Pennington, N.J.), Chris and Patricia (Sarasota, Fla.), Fred and Pam (South Freeport, Maine), Wally and Brenda (Randolph, Vt.), Carolyn and Jonathan Dwyer (Lincoln); 14 grandchildren and two great-children; niece Christina Bradley and her husband Larry Sampas; and nephews Tom Bradley and Philip Bradley and his wife Susan Bradley.

Donations can be made in her memory to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services, PO Box 143, Lincoln MA 01773. Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home. To share a memory or offer a condolence, click here.