BENNINGTON-
Carolyn Joyce Darkey came into the world on Mother’s Day, May 8, 1932 and left it the day after Father’s Day 90 years later, June 20, 2022. She was born in her grandparents’ hotel in the small town of Beverly, in the beautiful state of West Virginia with her Uncle Doc McClung delivering her. Her parents were Beryl Jean (Morrison) and Harold James Darkey. Her earliest childhood memory was of sliding down the banister in that hotel with her cousin Alvin. Around age 4 her family moved into the Tygart Valley Homestead which was established by Eleanor Roosevelt, in East Dailey, WV. They gardened, canned (which she always hated) and raised animals for 4H. She and her three siblings attended 4H camp every summer. One year when they were in need of counselors, they took her mother’s bed to the camp so she could be a counselor and have the two youngest children there with her.

In high school she thought she wanted to be a flight attendant but she was too tall and wore glasses which wasn’t allowed at the time. Her friend Joanne wanted to be a nurse and wanted Carolyn to go with her so they checked it out. Joanne later decided against nursing but Carolyn felt badly about the money that her parents had already spent and didn’t want to hurt their feelings so she went to the nursing school associated with Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV. At one point the college was having a dance and three guys came to the director of nursing and asked about getting dates for the dance. A notice was posted and Carolyn and two friends decided to take the guys up on their offer. Supposedly one guy was tall, another a bit shorter and the last a bit older. Amongst themselves, the girls decided which they would take, although none of them ended up with the one they wanted. Carolyn wanted the tall guy but ended up with the older one instead. At the end of the date she had to ask him what his name was because she knew her mother would want to know. His name was Ed Skelly and they began dating. At one Christmas break, she took a Greyhound bus to Mount Vernon, NY to meet Ed’s parents. It was the first time she’d ever been out of West Virginia. She never once got off the bus the entire way because she was afraid it would leave without her. She graduated from nursing school and worked while Ed finished his degree in engineering at Davis and Elkins. On September 16, 1953, Carolyn and Ed were married. After Ed’s graduation they moved to St. Louis where Ed worked for McDonnell Douglas before getting a job at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford, CT. They moved east and eventually into a home in Derby, CT where they raised their family.

Carolyn was an involved stay-at-home mom, a Cub Scout den mother, Brownie leader, PTA president, band parents’ president, always there for every game or event. She was a member of the Derby United Methodist Church, participating in the choir and women’s organization. She belonged to Friends of the Library, and was always baking for different bake sales and fundraisers. She and her best friend, Midge (Ouillette) Misbach were often together playing Scrabble, Perquacky or Pinochle. They would take their combined seven children on all kinds of adventures but always had to be home in time to watch their “story”. She was left a widow in 1979 when her husband of 26 years passed away and she eventually went to work as a pharmacy technician for many years before retiring at the age of 70. She loved to travel and with her siblings and their spouses, visited Georgia, West Virginia, Maine, Cape Cod, Canada and many other places. A trip to France one year with her daughter, her sister Dossie and a friend, the four women, collectively known as Four Bags and Their Luggage, traveled through France, England, Germany, and Switzerland and had some entertainingly hilarious adventures. No matter where she went, Carolyn loved to have a good time. Whether it was visiting family in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maine, Scotland or Washington, she was there whenever she was needed and always willing to lend a helping hand. She went out of her way to help others and was always doing something for someone else. She had many friends and loved throwing her St. Patrick’s Day dinner every year. She enjoyed her grandchildren and spent as much time as possible with them, whether making cookies, walking the track or taking them various places. She also loved her annual Palm Sunday Easter Egg Hunt for the grandchildren, always with her famous baked ziti and torte. It’s now become a regular holiday known as Preaster for the Bourn family, thanks to Grandma Skelly. Carolyn was one of the last great Queens of Prairie Avenue.

Carolyn was predeceased by her first husband, Edward J. Skelly, Jr. in July, 1979 and by her second husband, Maurice Wyman, in 2019. She also lost her oldest son, James (Jay) Skelly in 2008 which eventually led to her open heart surgery less than a year later. Five days following that surgery she suffered a stroke and spent the next year in and out of the hospital and rehab with various injuries. We never thought we would get as many additional years with her as we did and we are so grateful to have had them. She survived for thirteen more years after her stroke and while eventually we each slowly faded from her memory, she never lost her good humor, her ability to laugh or her kindness towards others. She was predeceased by her sister, Doris Jean Kuhns and her brother, Randall Darkey, as well as their spouses and also by her nephew, Mark Sadeghian. We’re sure there was a great welcoming committee in Heaven when she arrived, full of all those who loved her, with lots of flowers, music and pure joy.

Carolyn is survived by her daughter, Jeanne (Marvin) Bourn, of Shaftsbury, VT, her son, Jeffrey (JoAnn) Skelly, of Derby, CT and her son, Joseph Skelly, of Bolton Landing, NY; ten grandchildren: Shawn, Elizabeth, Justin, Lindley, Cameron, Derek, Ryan, McKinley, Daniel and Brian, six great-grandchildren and two more on the way. She is also survived by her sister, Elizabeth (Ken) Sadeghian, of Grass Valley, CA, two nieces and three nephews.

The family would like to thank all those at Bennington Health and Rehab, as well as Shady Knoll Health Center in Seymour, CT for the care, respect and love given to Carolyn over the last several years. Services and burial will take place in West Virginia at a time convenient to the family.

Carolyn loved reading obituaries, as did her sister Libby. They would often cut interesting ones out of the newspaper to share with each other. She was promised that when the day came, her obituary would be interesting and share-worthy. We hope we fulfilled that promise.

Memorial contributions in honor of Carolyn may be made to Doctors without Boarders, through the office of the Mahar and Son Funeral Home 628 Main St. Bennington, VT 05201