Obituary: Carolyn (Boothby) McConnell
Carolyn Boothby McConnell, 88, Remembered for Her Passion for History and Family
SACO – Carolyn (Boothby) McConnell, an 88‑year‑old lifelong resident of Maine, died on Oct. 2, 2026 after a brief illness. She spent her final years in the Atlantic Heights retirement community in Saco, having lived most of her life in Kennebunk, Maine and later in Harwinton, Connecticut.
Born in Kennebunk to Ronald Waterhouse Boothby and Edna Mae Philbrick of York, Maine, Carolyn was the youngest of three siblings. She grew up in the same town that she would later call home again after a decade in Connecticut. A bright student, she graduated from Kennebunk High School in 1956 as a majorette and remained active in school clubs. Her love of learning would become a lifelong pursuit.
A Life of Scholarship and Service
Carolyn’s interests centered on Maine’s past and the mysteries of ancient civilizations. She devoted years to researching the state’s pioneer history and even studied Egyptology, keeping meticulous notes that could fill a small library. When her husband, Dr. David Marshall McConnell, accepted a coaching position at Lewis S. Mills High in the early 1960s, Carolyn chronicled every game in scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings and photographs. She later served as editor‑in‑chief for his doctoral dissertation while he pursued a Ph.D. at Boston University in the late 1980s.
Her volunteer work extended to local libraries in Goshen and Harwinton, Connecticut, where she helped maintain collections and assisted visitors. Throughout her life she nurtured her family’s intellectual curiosity, encouraging her four children—James, Mark, Brian, and Sharon—to pursue their own interests.
Family, Travels, and Community Involvement
In 1957, Carolyn married her high school sweetheart, David. Together they raised a family of four while living first in Harwinton, Connecticut. After her husband’s career led him to Boston and then back to Kennebunk for a headmaster role at Kennebunk High School, Carolyn returned to the Maine coast in 1990. She was a familiar face at school events, cheering on the Rams and sharing stories of her youth with students.
Beyond school life, Carolyn’s wanderlust took her across the country and the world. She traveled to France to deepen her knowledge of visual arts and ancient history. In Montana, she worked alongside paleontologists to excavate dinosaur bones, a skill she later applied as a member of a Maine State Museum team that unearthed a mastodon in Scarborough. Her love of music—spanning vocal jazz, country, sock‑hop, soft rock, and musical theater—filled the McConnells’ home and provided a soundtrack to her many adventures.
During winter months, the McConnells spent time in Vero Beach, Florida, enjoying spring‑training baseball, zoo visits, flea markets, and occasional trips to the Kennedy Space Center. In addition to her human family, Carolyn cherished her pets: two dogs—Rebound and Big Red Cowens—and three cats named Ming, Ernie, and Howard.
Legacy and Memorial
Carolyn is survived by her sons James (of West Simsbury, Conn.), Mark (of Yuma, Ariz.), and Brian (of East Granby, Conn.), her daughter Sharon (of Columbus, Miss.), and her grandchildren Keith (Simsbury, Conn.), Maeve (East Granby, Conn.) and Gavin (Southwick, Mass.). She also leaves a great‑grandchild, Marshall, and five nieces—Deborah Soule, Mary Kittrick, Susan Gorman, Georgeann Tudisco, and Jennifer LeBarge Seabrooke. Her husband, Dr. David M. McConnell, her brother Herbert and his wife Betty, her sister Shirley and her husband George, and nephew Jason LeBarge predeceased her.
Friends and family will gather to celebrate Carolyn’s life on Saturday, Oct. 17. A memorial meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Bibber Memorial Chapel on 67 Summer Street in Kennebunk, followed by a service at 10 a.m. A private family graveside ceremony will take place immediately afterward at Hope Cemetery in Kennebunk. Those wishing to share memories may visit the online book of memories at www.bibberfuneral.com.
Arrangements are handled by Bibber Memorial Chapel. In lieu of flowers, mourners are encouraged to make a donation to the Dr. David and Carolyn McConnell Memorial Scholarship Fund, which supports students at Lewis S. Mills High School in Connecticut and Kennebunk High School in Maine. Checks can be made payable to “Dr. David and Carolyn McConnell Memorial” and sent to the Bank of America at 240 W Main St., Avon, CT 06001, with the memo “Account 385027179752.”
Carolyn’s life, marked by a passion for history, a dedication to family, and a commitment to community, will be remembered by all who knew her. Her legacy lives on through the scholars she inspired, the family she nurtured, and the countless memories she shared with friends and neighbors across Maine and beyond.
