Updated obituary: Carol Benedict Russell
Carol Benedict Russell, 89, of Shelter Island, passed away suddenly at home on June 11, 2023.
Born in New York City on March 15, 1934, Carol touched the lives of many with her effervescent heart and unwavering intelligence. Her presence will forever be missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire the pursuit of education, horticulture and conservancy.
Born Carol Wright Benedict, to Stewart and Augusta Burke Benedict, she was raised in Plainfield, N.J., where she attended the Hartridge School. She later attended St. Mary’s Episcopal School for Girls in Pennsylvania and graduated from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Penn. She then attended Wells College, and Columbia University.
Her maternal grandfather Charles Clinton Burke was a founder of the Humble Oil Company in Bayonne, N.J.
On school breaks, Carol spent her summers on the family yacht, “Lady Mary,” in Dering Harbor and at the Shelter Island Yacht Club, where her father was treasurer for many years. As an avid sailor, she enjoyed membership in the Yacht Club well into her later years.
Carol was clerk and treasurer of the Village of Dering Harbor from 1998 to 2010.
She was beloved by the youth of Shelter Island as a volunteer educator and as the Youth Chair of The Shelter Island Garden Club for almost 30 years. Carol also taught horticulture and conservancy to students at the Shelter Island School every Tuesday for decades.
After instituting the school’s first teaching garden, Mrs. Russell, as she was affectionately known by her students, entered them in flower show competitions, where they won many awards.
Carol especially loved all the varieties of daffodils. She was a charter member of the American Daffodil Society. Her own daffodils were entered in shows and won many accolades. Carol’s daffodils continue to bloom on Shelter Island every spring. Further, Carol served as Arbor Day chair for decades.
She planted many trees on the Island, most notably the beech trees to honor the late Lt. Joe Theinert. Carol was also a great friend of the Shelter Island Public Library and spoke there frequently. She held these organizations very close to her heart.
Carol loved classical music, big bands, jazz, the New York Times, reading books, and her dogs Harry and Cody. She also enjoyed a fierce game of Scrabble. She was especially fond of poetry. Before, during and after the pandemic, she formed and administered the weekly Scottish Poetry Roundtable. The group met both in person and over Zoom during the pandemic. She was a devoted mother and grandmother, always helpful and dependable, and well-respected in the community.
Carol was preceded in death by her daughter Catherine Adair Lord Keefe of Greenwich, Conn., Daniel Wallace Keefe also of Greenwich, and William Logie Russell of Shelter Island.
She is survived by her three children: Daniel (Sandy) Keefe (Julie) of Tallahassee, Fla., Holly Keefe of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Christine Keefe (Gabriel) of Bridgehampton, N.Y. She is also survived by her four grandchildren, Gabriel Jr., Marie, and Theo Aiello of New York, N.Y., and Charlotte Grace Keefe of Tallahassee, Fla.
Her funeral and interment was held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 17, at 11 a.m.
A community celebration of her life will be held at a future date.
Memorial donations in Carol’s name may be made to the Shelter Island Friends of Trees — sifriendoftrees org
