Carol C. DeLeon

Carol C. DeLeon, 88, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Captain Leo M. DeLeon, USNRR; by four sons Leo J. (Amy), Michael J. (Gina), Paul J. (Tammy) and Matthew J. along with five grandchildren Alyssa, Nicholas, Michael-Paul, Rylee, and Madisyn.

Carol was born in Saratoga Springs, New York on October 28, 1934, a daughter of the late James R. Coleman and Helen S. Killough. She was a 1952 graduate of St. Peters High School, Saratoga Springs, New York. Carol went on to study Nursing.  She began at St. Peters Hospital in Albany, NY followed by time spent at Saratoga Hospital. She became a Registered Nurse while in Saratoga before attending the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and later graduated from a 3-year program for Registered Nurses in pursuit of their bachelor’s degree.

She worked for 10 years at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C. during which time she met her future husband. She and Leo M. were married on December 28, 1959. She was on staff working at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland the day the hospital opened.  After finishing her Nursing career and amid raising her four sons, Carol became an antiques dealer.  She loved the hunt for these small treasures all over Maryland, during her summer trips to Upstate New York and even through several trips made to England with her husband and her close friends. She was in her element whether working at Antiques & Things or at one of the many antiques shows she participated in over the years.   She could talk to anyone about anything and enjoyed relaying the history of each of her antiques to prospective buyers while often learning about some of their own personal history during each such encounter. Following her time as an antiques dealer, Carol began devoting her energy to volunteer services.  She started by working in the Greetings section of the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence where she volunteered her time for many years supporting multiple Administrations including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. After her time at the White House, Carol shifted her volunteer efforts to participating in the support being provided by the American Red Cross at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where she became acquainted with the Wounded Warrior Project. 

Throughout her careers in nursing and antiques and all the volunteer work she did, her family remained Carol’s primary passion. She so loved her family and had such an endearing way that she made everyone she met feel welcomed, safe, and cared for. She was her family’s historian whenever anyone needed to recount a person, a date, or an event, they always “asked mom.”

Carol is also survived by her three brothers Michael J. Coleman (Mary Louise), Robert Scott Coleman (Zoe Ann) and James W. Coleman (Dian) and her beloved aunt, Jean Ernst, along with many nieces and nephews.

Carol’s faith was a consistent theme throughout her life and her family draws comfort from the thought that God chose to call Carol home to her rightful place in heaven on Easter Sunday, the day Jesus was resurrected.

Visitation will be at St. Andrew Apostle Church, 11600 Kemp Mill Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20902  on Thursday May 4, 2023 from 10:00 until 11:00 am with Mass of Christian burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Gate Of Heaven cemetery, Silver Spring, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Carol’s name may be made to the American Red Cross or the Wounded Warrior Project.