Carolee Maynard was a remarkable woman. Deeply admired, respected and adored by her many friends and family. At 73, she died of Small Cell Lung Cancer May 20, 2020 at home. Being the strong person she was Carolee gave a very strong fight against the cancer. Home Hospice managed her pain so that she was comfortable at the end of her life.

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No one has embraced life as fully and joyfully as Carolee. Her magnetic personality attracted peoples respect and love for her.

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She was as straight forward as she was gentle, as forthright as she was considerate, as full of wonder as she was of wisdom. Her desire to hang in there scarcely dimmed during the nearly three and a half years she fought the cancer. Up until the end she respected people and this respect was returned in full.

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Carolee was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Shirley and Walter Maynard. Carolee grew up in Orangeburg, N.Y. After graduating from High School she became a Registered Nurse. She moved to Connecticut and entered into the field of psychotherapy. Worked at the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) which was joined at the hip with Yale University. She achieved her advanced degree from the University of New Haven.  Her skills and knowledge advanced her into administration. Carolee's leadership skills helped develop respect from those who worked with her. At the same time Carolee become an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Carolee also developed a private practice in psychotherapy. Her caring nature and disarming, down-to-earth manner developed a great deal of respect from her co-workers and patients. Her professional connections were broad and deep.

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To quote a co-worker, "Carolee was an expert in the field of psychiatry and administration. She mentored and supervised many psychiatric residents from Yale School of medicine and nursing. She was a consultant to DMHAS facilitating transitions for complex cases. She was an expert nurse who represented acceptance and kindness to her patients. She was a role model for all of us. First and foremost, she was a fierce advocate for our patients at CMHC.

She was considered an expert in her field by all of us who worked with her."

 

During her years in Connecticut, Carolee partnered and married the love of her life. Jeffrey Kingdon, with whom she shared the rest of her life. They were married in 1987. While living in Connecticut they lived together in a house overlooking Long Island Sound. This familiarity to water turned into a dream of living on their sailboat and eventually transformed into an actual adventure that took them from Connecticut to Maine to the entire Eastern Caribbean for some 12 years. As Carolee would say "We had the opportunity to live our dream."

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Carolee always made time for people in her life. 

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Lately home for Carolee and Jeffrey has been in Palm Coast, FL. As you would expect Carolee developed many new deep rooted friendships.

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Surviving her is her husband, Jeffrey Kingdon and his two daughters Mauri Bunch and Becca Aither, and grandchildren Padrick, Bridget and Brendan. Carolee's  sister, Pamela Meller and her husband Steven Meller and their two daughters Naomi and Navah and grand children. Carolee is also survived by a wide-ranging group of loving friends.