Carol Kinsey Paiste

SOUTH PORTLAND, ME – Carol Catharine Kinsey Paiste, who was born in East Chicago, Indiana on September 6, 1940 passed away January 26, 2023 after a brief illness. Carol will be loved and missed by all who knew her. Born to Hartselle DeBurney Kinsey and Catharine Rosalind Koontz Kinsey, she was predeceased by her parents; and sister, Louise Kinsey Clark. Carol leaves behind to cherish her memory daughters, Kinsey Virginia Paiste Peeler of Richmond, VA and Lydia Whitting Paiste Badger of Cape Elizabeth ME; sons-in-law, Mel Peeler and Jeff Badger; grandchildren, Will and Zoe Peeler and Ernie and Roy Badger; her sisters, Jo Ann Storey and Melissa Kinsey Mathews; brother-in-law, James S. Mathews; and many nieces and nephews. Carol spent her childhood in Oak Ridge, TN and Scarsdale, NY. She graduated from Scarsdale High School in 1958, and from Hollins College in Roanoke, VA in 1962 with a B.A. in English and a certificate from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She married Henry T. Paiste, III in 1968. Carol enjoyed her life in South Salem, NY where she put her extraordinary sewing talents to work, and owned and operated a boutique sewing business that specialized in custom made window treatments, valances, and pillows. She was a longtime member of the Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in New Canaan, CT serving as both Corresponding Secretary and as Chapter Regent, and was honored with a national award for distinction in service from the Sons of the American Revolution. Carol served as Secretary for the Mite Society of the South Salem Presbyterian Church, formally known as the Female Charitable Society. She was active at Meadow Pond Elementary School and the SSPC, where she chaired the committee for the original Passing the Plate cookbook to raise funds after a massive fire destroyed the historic church in 1973. Four decades later Carol was winning awards for her research on the biographies of soldiers of the French and Indian, Revolutionary and 1812 wars, buried in the church cemetery. An active volunteer with Meals on Wheels, a life-long lover of literature and poetry, the New York Times crossword puzzle, NPR, and adventurous culinary experimentation, it was her friendships, old and new that she cherished most of all. Carol retired to South Portland, Maine and enjoyed living close to her daughter Lydia and her family. She met many wonderful new friends and she loved Maine, particularly spending time by the water, and her proximity to so many wonderful seafood restaurants. She noted that she never met an oyster she didn’t like. Carol you are, and always will be, the pearl in every oyster! A private memorial service is scheduled to take place in March in South Portland, Maine. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in Carol’s name to the Freya Scholarship Fund of Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia; the South Salem Presbyterian Church, South Salem, NY; Camp Arcadia, Otisfield, ME; or to Portland Wheelers, of Portland ME. Mom – if you’re reading this – we finally found your recipe for the cheese crackers. Per the family's request, if you would like to share a memory with them, you are welcome to send a letter to the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, at 1024 Broadway, South Portland, ME 04106, and we will pass it on to the family.