Obituary of Carole Irene Stretton Beldon

Carole Irene Stretton Beldon, formerly of Canton, N.Y., passed away peacefully on May 30, 2021, at her home in Sarasota, Fla. Carole was born May 26, 1939, in Potsdam, N.Y. She graduated from Canton High School (N.Y.) in 1957, where she was class president. She attended Oberlin College before graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, where she was Alpha Phi chapter president; she then received her master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College. Carole married Jack Stewart Beldon, Jr., on September 12, 1964, at Canton Methodist Church. He passed away on Oct. 18, 1993. They lived abroad for most of their married life as Jack worked for Goodyear Tire International Corporation. This included residency in Colombia (twice), Peru (twice), Venezuela, Morocco, Kenya, Turkey and England. Stateside, they also lived in Akron, Ohio, where Goodyear is headquartered. Following the death of her husband, Carole moved permanently to The Meadows in Sarasota, Fla., and spent summers at the family camp on Higley Flow in Colton, N.Y. Carole is survived by her daughter Allyson Beldon McCloskey and husband Gordon; her son, Jack Stewart Beldon III; her brother Ernest Stretton II and his wife Sara Houx Stretton, and their daughters Tamara Stretton White and Amy Stretton Verni. Other surviving family members include her husband’s sister-in-law Patricia Beldon and her family, including daughters Kim Beldon Grant, Wendy Beldon Parker and Betsy Beldon Eberhardt; her husband’s sister Margot Beldon Summers, her husband Vernon, and their children Chuck Summers and Kelli Summers Powell. Carole is also survived by her cousins Barbara Dake Maclean, Kurt Remmers and Glen Remmers. She was predeceased by her parents Edith and Ernest Stretton of Canton, N.Y. Throughout her entire life, Carole was active in school, the community and the arts. During summers from 1948-1959 she attended Silver Lake Camp for Girls in Hawkeye, N.Y., which spurred lifelong interests in wildlife, tennis and canoeing; she eventually became an Adirondack “46er” by climbing all of the peaks of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York. Overseas, she was president of various international and American women’s clubs. She had a lifelong interest in music, participating in choral groups in Peru and Sarasota; she also served as a docent at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota for many years. She loved art and pencil drawing, playing bridge, traveling, and most of all she enjoyed life. She loved her dogs: Tinker, Vania, Camper and Brandy. Burial will be at the Evergreen Cemetery in Canton, N.Y., on June 26 at 2 p.m. Following the ceremony, a gathering to celebrate Carole’s life will be hosted by Ernie and Sara Stretton at 154 Mud Pond Road in Colton, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, please give a donation to the Joslin Diabetic Clinic, Boston, Mass. Lawrence Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Canton is handling arrangements. Condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.lawrencefuneralhome.org