Carole May Clancy

Carole May Clancy went to be with the Lord on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Carole was a loving wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to a large extended family and close network of friends. Carole was born on February 25, 1936 in Cumberland, MD and was the daughter of the late William Harry Lillard and Evelyn Louise (Haese) Lillard. She was pre-deceased by her husband Gerard “Jerry” Clancy. Carole grew up with lots of close relatives who looked out for one another.

Carole graduated from Fort Hill High School in 1954, where she made many lifelong friends and was active as the school newspaper and yearbook editor. She attended business school after graduation and then moved to Alexandria, VA to take a secretarial job with Capital Airlines. Shortly afterward, she met and married Jerry Clancy in 1958 and they had 55 wonderful years together until Jerry’s passing. Carole and Jerry moved to a new home in Belair at Bowie, MD in 1962, where they raised two sons, Pat and Mark, and where Carole resided for over 63 years prior to moving in 2025 to Spring Arbor Senior Living in Leesburg, VA where she met new friends and participated in many social activities. She was an active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Carole enjoyed a long, fulfilling, adventurous, wonderful life. As a young woman she enjoyed spelunking, exploring wild caves in Virginia and West Virginia. In the mid-1970s she accepted a job as a sales representative for Pan American World Airways, which allowed Carole and Jerry and the family to fly standby so they could take many trips throughout the world on a budget. To Carole, visiting new countries, meeting new friends, encountering new cultures, and exploring foreign locales were great adventures. After each trip she wrote up a detailed travelogue with photos, which her grandchildren later used in planning their own trips.

A woman of many diverse talents, Carole was artistic and loved to paint, do ceramics, and sew. She never hesitated to share these gifts with family and friends. Many years ago, Carole sang in the Bowie Women’s Chorale, which performed Christmas carols each year on the National Mall. She was a lifelong reader with a varied interest in reading material, a passion that has been taken up by her children and grandchildren.

Carole was cheerful and optimistic. She loved life, socializing with friends, and had a quick smile and beautiful laugh for everyone. She had many close friends, whom she greatly cherished. She met them through her ski club, tennis groups, biking and hiking excursions, book clubs, and at the beloved Belair Bath and Tennis Club where she could be seen every summer socializing with friends, swimming her 30 laps each day, and riding her bike to and from the pool. Carole loved the outdoors. She and Jerry and the family began snow skiing locally in the 1960s at Charnita (Liberty), Round Top and Wisp. They grew this interest to encompass ski trips out west, Canada and to Europe with family and close friends, and she continued doing this well into her retirement years.

Carole was a wonderful wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to three generations of children. She took a keen interest in their activities, skiing with them, attending their concert recitals, taking them on hikes, and accompanying them on countless vacations. We will all miss her presence, warm smile, and always cheerful demeanor.

Carole is survived by her sons: Patrick Clancy (Pamela); and Mark Clancy; her grandchildren: Ryan Clancy; Kathleen Spearman (Matthew); Sean Clancy (Megan); Colin Clancy (Celeena); and Corey Clancy; her great grandchildren: Emmy Spearman, Charlie Spearman, and Justin Clancy; her sister Jeanne Hennessy (William), cousin Kathy Krolak and a close group of lifelong friends.

In lieu of flowers, please direct memorial contributions in Carole’s name to St. Pius X Catholic Church in Bowie, MD or to Blue Ridge Care. A visitation will be held at Beall Funeral Home, 6512 NW Crain Hwy (Rte. 3 South), Bowie, MD 20715 on Friday, March 6 from 3 – 5 PM with a funeral mass occurring at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 14716 Annapolis Rd., Bowie, MD 20715 on Saturday, March 7 at 11:00 AM.