Carole J. Lapham

Carole J. Lapham, MeMaw, age 74, passed away peacefully on January 21st, 2017 surrounded by her family. Carole was born on October 21, 1942 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She married her husband Darrell L. Lapham in 1961 who was studying to be a structural engineer in Akron, Ohio. They had three children, Renee, Mark and Kurt. Carole met Darrell when her family relocated from Pittsburgh to Akron. She attended Darrell’s 17th birthday party with a friend. For Darrell it was love at first site, when the time came to cut the cake he insisted his mother give Carole the piece with his name on it, after his mother inquired “why”? He proclaimed “I am going to marry her one day”. Carole often stated, quite seriously, that she was not interested in him as he was not her type, but through Darrell’s perseverance she finally gave in to his charm. They became secretly engaged just before Darrell shipped off to the Mediterranean on the U.S.S. Randolph as he served his time in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return they were wed on June 3rd, 1961. Carole was a stay at home mom and later a secretary at several locations. Carole and Darrell relocated to New Port Richey, Florida in 1997. Carole was an avid tennis player and continued to play in a league until the end. She was a big fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and football in general. She enjoyed trips to St. Augustine on the back of Darrell’s Harley Davidson or local bike trips to Johns Pass. She loved being with family and friends and made everyone feel welcomed, she also loved sailing, visiting various wineries and Merlot wines, she was always ready for guests and wanted everyone to have a good time. She loved live music and dancing and was a groupie of several local acts. Carole always greeted strangers with a smile, she had a smile that would light up a room. She will always be in our hearts and memories. Carole is preceded in death by her father, Walter Lang, mother, Edna F. (Ulmer) Lang. Carol is survived by her husband Darrell L. Lapham, daughter, Renee L. (Lapham) Harbert, son, Mark L. Lapham, Wendy L. (Mills) Lapham, son, Kurt L. Lapham, 4 grandchildren, Mathew R. Harbert, Mathew R. Mills, Christine L. Lapham and Mark L. Lapham and 5 great grandchildren: Kaitlynn, Wesley, Kaleb, Mathew and Leah. Visitation will be held at Morgan Funeral Home Chapel on Friday, January 27, 2017 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. with a Memorial Service at 7:00 p.m.