Carol Ward Stevens

Rotterdam - Carol Ward Stevens, 76, passed away on April 3, 2018. She was born Carol Ann Ward in Port Henry, NY on April 8, 1941, to Carl Walter Ward and Grace Marie Farnsworth-Ward, both from Port Henry, NY. She was predeceased by her brother William Carl Ward of Port Henry, NY and her sister Darlene Ward of Port Henry, NY.

Carol, the oldest of six children born to farmer/butcher/businessman Carl Ward, learned to be a hard-working woman on her father's large farm milking cows in the morning before school, riding horseback and driving a horse and buggy loaded with hay to feed animals after school. She had many succesful 4-H horseback riding competitions and helped her mother clean a large farmhouse and cook and care for her younger siblings as well as several live-in ranch hands.

After graduating from Port Henry High School in 1959, she moved to Albany, NY, taking an entry-level clerical job in the NYS Education Department, where she was quickly promoted through the ranks to Tier-1 manager of the Test Distribution Unit, being responsible for Distributing NYS Regents and NYS Exams to every High School in the State.

Carol married on July 3, 1964, WWII Army Veteran, Robert Stevens, Sr. (died December 8, 2004), Bob was retired from GE. They bought a house and an apartment building in Schenectady, NY, and became a landlord working along side her husband, young children and youngest sibling, Candace, painting and repairing the apartments, keeping them in good repair for tenants. After this project, Carol sold the apartments and moved her family on up to Rotterdam, NY.

Carol, after taking a part-time job on weekends making her a 7 day-a-week worker for 10 years, retired from the State at 54 years old.
No retirement for this hard-working pioneer woman as she went to work full-time for Home Instead, as a caregiver for seniors for which she won numerous awards. In addition, Carol worked babysitting her grandchildren and caravanning them to karate lessons and tournaments around the U.S. as well as their many other activities until her stroke at 73 years old.

Survivors include her daughter BSN, RN at Schenectady County Public Health & Ellis Hospital, Tracy Stevens-Salih, husband, Osama, children, Dustin and Amira; her son Robert Stevens, Jr., manager for Golub Corporation and his children: Robert Stevens, III, Savier, Estevon and Jonathan; daughter Jennifer Stevens-Paige, licensed life health agent, BS from Siena, husband, Earl, children, Je Zsa Nay and Je Naj.

Carol is also survived by her siblings: Candace Elizabeth Ward-Woodard and her sons, Ty Woodard, II and Joshua Woodard of Milwaukee, WI, formerly of Schenectady, NY; brother Jack Louis Ward of Hialeah (Miami), FL and wife, Yang, children, Tanya Loseke, Luke and Cody; sister, Judith May Ward-Penn of Rockland, NC, children, Cindy and Randy Penn; her nephew Bill Ward, Jr.; her nieces, Michelle Ward, and Jackie Ward-Goralcyz of Clifton Park, NY.

Carol also has many grand nieces and nephews and has helped relatives with emotional and financial support her entire life. She will be greatly missed by all, and her Pioneer Spirit lives on through her children and every life she has touched.

Wake and funeral services will be held from 10 am to 11:30 am on Saturday, April 14 at New Comer Cremations & Funerals, 343 New Karner Road, Colonie. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Park View Cemetery, 40 Fehr Ave., Schenectady, NY.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Carol's name to the American Diabetes Association, 2 Pine West Plaza, Albany, NY 12205.