Obituary of Meredith Lee Carroll

Meredith Lee Carroll, 40, of Bridgewater, NJ away Thursday, March 26, 2020, at RWJ University Hospital Somerset. The cause of death was the coronavirus, according to her parents, James, and Andrea Carroll. Services will be live-streamed at 10:15 AM on Friday, April 3, 2020, from Higgins Home for Funerals in Watchung, at https://higginsfuneralhome.com/. Entombment to follow at the Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum in Basking Ridge. Meredith’s easy grin, quick wit, and unshakeable high spirits made her an unforgettable presence in her community. She was highly competitive, with an athletic prowess that surprised anyone who took her physical limitations at face value, and a high-octane performer whose flair for the hilarious elevated talent shows and dance performances organized by the Somerset ARC for four decades. Diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth in 1979, she attended the Jerry Davis Center for Children and Families in Manville run by the Somerset ARC and went on to graduate from the McAuley School for Exceptional Children in Watchung in 2000. As an adult, she was a faithful employee at the ARC of Somerset in Branchburg and the after-school program at the Hamilton Primary School in Bridgewater. Meredith had wide-ranging interests and was an enthusiastic member of local sports and arts groups for adults with disabilities. She bowled with the Somerset Exceptionals Bowling League most Saturdays and competed in local and state Special Olympics Bowling events for 30 years. As a member of the McAuley Alumni Track and Field team, she competed in the annual Somerset County Special Olympics games and won more than 100 Special Olympic medals at both the local and state levels. She was also a lover of crafts and participated in many classes run by the Therapeutic Recreation department of the Somerset County Parks Commission. At home, Meredith enjoyed listening to music, watching movies, coloring intricate designs, and spending time with her friends and family. But the highlight of her year for nearly three decades was an annual two-week vacation at Camp Jotoni in Warren, where she will be remembered for her energy, smiles, high-fives, and hugs. Meredith was nurtured by, and then gave back to, a wide-ranging network of often volunteer-led programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Her exceptional life serves as testament to the power of community connections and possibilities for joy and purpose for all. She is survived by her loving family: father James Carroll, a professor at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, and mother Andrea Carroll, a longtime teacher at Mt. Horeb School in Warren, both of Bridgewater; and by sister Alison Carroll of Brooklyn, NY; sister Kathleen Carroll Ketchem, brother-in-law Charles Ray Ketchem Jr., and nephews Nolan and Charlie Ketchem of Montclair; as well as by extended family throughout New Jersey. A celebration of life will be scheduled in the fall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Camp Jotoni at www.campjotoni.org.