Obituary of James Carroll
James P. Carroll, age 75, of Spencerport passed away on April 3, 2015 at home, surrounded by family. A native of Geneva, NY, he graduated from Waterloo Central School Class of 1957, received his BS (Physics) at Union College Class of 1961, and his MS (Physics) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was employed by Eastman Kodak and JML Optical, retiring as engineering manager. Throughout his life he and his wife of 52 years, Maryann (Komonchak) have been very active in their church ministries, including serving as Chairman of the Parish Council. As a couple, Jim and Mary had a national leadership role in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement as Team Trainers in the US and Canada. In retirement he tutored math at Spencerport High School.
In addition to his wife, Maryann, he is survived by six daughters, Mary (Michael) Mahony, Margaret (Eric) Wilcots, Cynthia (Michael) Nolan, Roberta (Edward) McCaffery, Maureen (Anthony Miller), and Kathleen (Sandeep) Mannava; grandchildren Anna and Emma Mahony, Julia and Megan Wilcots, Edward and James McCaffery, step-grandchildren Matthew and Robert Nolan; lovingly anticipated grandchildren; brothers Robert and Thomas Carroll and Mark Sheehan; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents James and Gertrude, and brother Dennis.
A mass of Christian burial will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church, 55 Martha St., Spencerport on Wednesday, April 8, at 11 am. Visitations will be held at Walker Bros Funeral Home, 15 West Ave., Spencerport on Monday, April 6, 4-7 pm, and on Tuesday, April 7, 1-3 pm and 6-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider support for Aurora House, 2495 S. Union Street Spencerport, NY 14559.
Jim was born December 28, 1939, in Geneva, New York, to James Stuart and Gertrude Sheehan Carroll. He grew up with brothers Bob, Denny and Tommy, in Geneva and later Waterloo, attending elementary school at St. Francis in Geneva (1st to 8th grade), and finishing 8th grade at St. Mary's in Waterloo. After graduating from Waterloo Central High School in 1957, Jim attended Union College (Schenectady, NY) on a full tuition scholarship. At Union, Jim was active in the Newman Club; he became a national Newman Club officer. He was also a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Jim graduated from Union with a B.S. in physics in 1961. He continued his studies of physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY), where he worked as a teaching assistant.
Jim began his career with a short stint (1963-64) at RCA in Burlington, MA, followed by nearly 27 years as an optical engineer at Eastman Kodak (1964-1991). Laser research at Kodak led to his graduate thesis, "Theoretical and Experimental Evaluation of the Q-Switched Neodymium Doped Glass Laser" (M.S., RPI, 1967). At Kodak's Research Lab, Jim designed one of the earliest medical lasers and worked on development of holograms. Subsequently, he designed optics for professional machines and cameras, and developed a single mode fiber-optic connector, which won the 1987 ComForum Award, for the Lamdek Fiber Optical Division. Over his career, Jim earned a number of patents. After retiring from Kodak in 1991, Jim continued working in optical engineering at JML Optical, serving as Manager of Engineering from 1992 until his retirement in 2008. In retirement, Jim consulted in optical engineering and tutored students in mathematics at Spencerport High School.
While at Union College, on a blind date, Jim met Maryann Komonchak, a student at nearby Russell Sage College. On August 25, 1962, Jim and Mary were married at St. Anthony's Church in Nanuet, NY. With Mary, Jim raised six daughters, Mary, Peggy, Cindy, Bobbi, Maureen and Kathleen. (He even served as the region's first Girl Scout 'Cookie Dad'!) Jim later welcomed sons-in-law Michael Mahony, Eric Wilcots, Michael Nolan, Edward McCaffery, Anthony Miller and Sandeep Mannava. He delighted in his grandchildren and enjoyed watching the family grow.
Jim and Mary moved from Rochester to Ogden in 1969, and into the village of Spencerport in 1977. Family was important to Jim, and later that year his parents joined them on Maplewood Avenue. A thoughtful and kind man who was more likely to express love through actions than words, Jim, with Mary's help, took care of his own parents through their battles with cancer and was there for his aunts in their declining years. Jim sense of "family" was expansive, and over the years, there were many occasions when he and Mary opened their home and hearts to others, both to friends and through formal programs like the Fresh Air Fund and the Refugee Resettlement Project.
Throughout his life, Jim was active in the Church and, in particular, in social ministry. Jim and Mary were part of the Christian Family Movement at RPI and at Holy Rosary parish (Rochester, NY). They also took local and national leadership roles in Marriage Encounter (1974-1982). A founding member of St. Christopher's Parish in North Chili, NY, Jim served as a 6th grade CCD teacher and Parish Council Chairman. After moving to St. John the Evangelist Parish (Spencerport, NY), he was active in many capacities. Jim was a Eucharistic minister, member of the Youth Committee, chaired the Human Development (now Social Ministry) Committee and the Parish Pastoral Council, and acted as the Diocesan Synod representative. From 1978 to 1980, Jim served on the Rochester Diocese Human Life Commission. He was the first President of the countywide Social Action Network community organizing group (later InterFaith Action), which supported initiatives including the Rochester City Drug Court, the first such court in New York State.
Jim had a lifelong interest in chess, astronomy, technology, folk music, and genealogical research. He will be dearly missed by everyone who knew and loved him.
