Carol A. (Battles) Hovey, age 87 passed away on Monday, July 15, 2024 at Syracuse Home, Baldwinsville NY. Carol was born in New Haven, New York on September 27, 1936 to Anita (Coon) and Herbert Battles. She grew up on the family farm where she was born and attended a one-room schoolhouse, New Haven Elementary School (just down the road from the dairy farm). From the time she was 12 she worked on the farm, picking strawberries and later "topping" onions in the summers on nearby muck farms. Carol was a 1954 high-school graduate of Mexico Academy and Central School and was the Salutatorian of her class. In fact, her grandchildren fondly remember Carol showing them the grades on her report cards (all "Outstanding," of course!) in her kitchen in Baldwinsville. Upon graduation, she worked at the Credit Union in Oswego, NY and for a short time at the Sealright Company. Many friends and family in Oswego County will remember her as "Pinky".

Carol met the love of her life, Richard "Pat" Hovey at the Scriba Town Dance in March of 1952. She would always offer that what most interested her in Pat was his new car. They wed on May 28, 1955 in the Lycoming Methodist Church and upon their marriage they resided in an apartment in Hannibal, NY, eventually buying Pat's maternal grandparents' home on Auburn Street. Their three children (Donna, David, and Leesa) were raised in that home until they built a new house in Hannibal on Morningside Drive. Carol continued to be an active Member of the Community Church in Hannibal and an exceptional homemaker.

In 1972, the family moved to Baldwinsville, NY, and Carol, again, became an active member of the community, raising a very active family. She joined the First Presbyterian Church in 1974, where she served as an elder and deacon, on various committees ranging from Buildings & Grounds to the Bicentennial Committee, and as a beloved Sunday School teacher. She was a Girl Scout leader and an active volunteer for the Female Charitable Society/Loan Closet, Meals on Wheels, and McHarrie Legacy.

Carol also was a member of a home bureau group, the Suburban-ettes, where she met many of her lifelong friends from the B'ville area. While many of them had passed before her, Carol cherished those friendships and gatherings very much. In the early 70's Carol and Pat had a summer camp in Sackets Harbor, NY, with several more to follow in Henderson Harbor, NY. They enjoyed sailing (until the sail boat sank — while moored in White's Bay!) and boating and fishing on a variety of Lyman watercraft (some of which ran and some of which did not!) over many memorable summers in Henderson Harbor.

In the early 1980's Carol and Pat purchased a property in Baldwinsville, which had been known as the Gidding's Farm and had been destroyed in a fire. Together, they painstakingly restored their 1840's home to a showcase that remains their home. Carol's happy place has always been her yard and gardens, which she continued to tend until her health declined. She resided at Syracuse Home from February 2024 under their hospice care until the time of her peaceful passing. (Her children would also like you to know that she was the iron-fisted president of the LAWN RAKERS Association, with mandatory participation each spring and fall…).

Carol was a master at caring for others, a self-taught cook (with the absolute best scrambled eggs!) who loved nourishing her family, friends, and community. In her church, Carol was a Sunday School teacher; at Truax & Hovey, a member of the Bowling Team; part of a "bunco" card group; and as an avid collector, Carol was a founding member of the White Ironstone Collectors Association, helping to establish its charter in 1994. Carol also had a great head for facts and figures, and was herself the founder and President of Onondaga Construction Systems, Inc., a woman-owned business established in 1982, as if she needed one more thing to do!

Carol and Pat's family enjoyed camping and the outdoors, taking up downhill skiing in 1969.  Even though Carol had to keep track of everyone else's goggles, gloves, hats, snacks, and lunches, she still found the time to make herself into an avid and adept skier, eventually visiting slopes all over the world. As the nest emptied, she and Pat traveled extensively, enjoying European adventures, river cruises, trips to Asia, vacations with family members & friends, and hiking trips, including summiting Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

Carol Hovey will be remembered by all as a kind and loving person who truly enjoyed life and was always there for others. "Pinky's" presence will never be gone from the lives of those who were lucky enough to know her, but it will always be missed.

She is preceded in death by her brother, Thomas Battles; her daughter, Linda Hovey; her parents, Anita and Herbert Battles; her in-laws, Lillian and Raymond Hovey, her brothers-in-law, Raymond Hovey and George Hagelund; her niece, Kimberly Sharfstein; her sisters-in-law, Ruth Ann Fulton, Jeane Caster, and Janice Hagelund; and nephews, Rick Fowler, Tom Hagelund, and Joe Barbeito.

Carol is survived by her husband of 69 years, Richard "Pat" Hovey; her daughters, Donna Hovey of Indianapolis IN and Leesa Hovey (Mike McGill) of Baldwinsville, NY; and a son, David Hovey (Karen) also of Baldwinsville, NY. Her grandchildren; John Hammond (Victoria) of Indianapolis, IN; Tozer Hammond of Washington, DC; Brian Coppinger of Indianapolis, IN; Marissa Hovey, Allison Hovey and Laura Alt of Baldwinsville NY; and Jack Alt of Syracuse NY. Two great-granddaughters, Alice and Lillian Hammond of Indianapolis, IN. She will be deeply missed. Her love of family and loyalty are the legacy that her family knows will endure. She loved her family deeply, dearly and without reservation, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In addition, Carol is survived by her brothers, James Battles (Peggy) of Central Square and Lyle Battles (Gay) of Oswego NY; in-laws, Marilyn (Hovey) and Dominic Delorio of Clifton Park, NY; Cindy (Hovey) and Jerry Sharfstein of Rockport, MA; and several cousins in the Oswego County area. She has numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews to whom she will always be known as "Aunt Pinky." She loved each and every one of them!

Donations may be made in her honor to Syracuse Home at McHarrie Place, 7740 Meigs Road, Baldwinsville, NY 13027; Mexico Academy and Central School Alumni Association, PO Box 1134, Mexico, New York 13144; Female Charitable Society Inc., 10 River Street, Baldwinsville NY 13027; Baldwinsville Meals on Wheels, 76 Canton Street, Baldwinsville, NY 13027; Humane CNY, 4915 W Taft Road, Liverpool, NY 13088 or a charity of your choice.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, July 22, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Maurer Funeral Home Moyers Corners, 3541 State Rt 31, Baldwinsville, NY 13027. A Funeral Service will take place on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 10:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church, 64 Oswego Road, Baldwinsville, NY 13027 with private burial in the Ira Union Cemetery, White Cemetery Road, Hannibal, NY 13074.

Please sign the Maurer Funeral Home online guestbook for Carol to express your condolences to her family.