Carole Degelman

Carole Degelman, a beloved member of her family and community, passed away on June 7, 2025, in Temple, Texas, at the age of 86. Born on January 20, 1939, in Confluence, Pennsylvania, Carole lived a life woven with both personal passion and a steadfast dedication to her professional endeavors.

Carole's educational journey began at South Union High School in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where she graduated in 1956. She furthered her love for learning by attending art classes at Penn State University during 1962-1963. With a commitment to her career aspirations, Carole transitioned to Howard Community College from 1975 to 1978, earning her degree in Vision Care Technology. She also embraced her culinary interests by taking Chinese cooking classes in State College, Pennsylvania, in 1969.

Carole's career spanned for more than two decades and varied roles. She started her professional journey at Chad Johns Law Firm from 1956 to 1960, followed by a brief stint at an advertising agency in the summer of 1960. Her most memorable professional chapter unfolded at Texas A&M University's Evans Library, where she served as the head of interlibrary lending services from 1982 until her retirement in 2002. During her tenure, Carole was honored with the TAMU Tradition of Excellence Staff Award in 1997, recognizing her distinguished contributions through dedication, initiative, attitude, and outstanding achievements.

Beyond her professional life, Carole had a deep passion for various hobbies, including sewing, square dancing, and flower arranging. These interests brought her joy, allowing her to connect with others and express her creativity.

Carole is survived by her loving husband, Larry Degelman; her children, Alan (Angie), Darryl (Linda), and Eve; her grandchildren, Mat, Nina, Chyenne, Marissa, Alexander, Austyn, and Morgen and her great-grandchildren, Michael and Mia. She is mourned by her parents, John Roscoe Collins and Eva Frances Myers, who have also passed. Carole is preceded in death by her brothers, Dale, Ray, Charles, Johnny, Tommy, and Jack, as well as her sister, Jane Collins Michael, and Wilma, her infant sister.

Her family honors her remarkable life and the indelible mark she left on those fortunate enough to know her. A visitation will be held on June 13, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, followed by a funeral service at 10:00 AM at Callaway-Jones Funeral Home and Crematory located at 3001 S College Ave, Bryan, TX. The interment will take place at 11:00 AM at College Station Memorial Cemetery, 3800 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, College Station, TX.

Carole’s legacy will live on through the countless lives she touched and the love she shared with her family and friends.

Everything in Carole’s life revolved around home and family. Year after year, her sole wish for her birthday, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas was always the same: to have her family members by her side, and always along with the family pets, all of whom she adored. Her number one goal was to support her family’s endeavors any and every way she possibly could. Some ways Carole dedicated herself to her family included planning and serving fantastic homemade meals. She even took a Chinese cooking class to expand her culinary skills; her kids continue cooking her favorite recipes for their families. She took a cake decorating class which resulted in one-of-a-kind birthday cakes for all of her three children yearly during their childhood. Each cake took into consideration each child’s current interests, as reflected in cakes showcasing a soccer ball, Winnie the Pooh, a rabbit, and a butterfly, among others. Her cakes weren’t only spectacular to look at, they were moist and delicious beyond belief; no store-bought cakes can hold a candle to her homemade ones!

Carole took pride in sewing all types of clothes for her daughter…and her daughter’s dolls! She even sewed a cloth Holly Hobby doll. Her expert skills and attention to detail were evident in everything she made, including dance recital clothing, public speaking outfits, and 2 prom dresses, among others.

Carole loved taking in new cultures as often as possible. She was a domestic and international traveler, having seen much of the U.S. over the years with her family. She also traveled to England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China, Brazil, Mexico & Canada. She took in the cultures, and even managed to get her husband Larry to enjoy raw oysters!

Carole was always available to discuss any issues any family members had on their minds. This caring attitude extended to her close friends and co-workers as well. Her close friends knew they could always count on her to listen and respond honestly and wisely to any problems they had, and support their decisions no matter what. While working in the TAMU library, she was Mother to all of her student workers, who would regularly ask for advice about life issues and frequently drop in on their off days just to talk with her. She took pride in the fact that, under her supervision, the Inter Library Loan Services department regularly got books shipped out to patrons faster than nearly all (if not every) other library nationwide–in a matter of days vs. weeks at most institutions. Carole’s goal was always to do the very best job at whatever she was doing, whether professionally or personally. We carry these values with us as we bid her farewell.

Angie (daughter in law): From the very beginning, Carole accepted me fully and wholeheartedly as part of the family. She never spoke an unkind word to me — or about anyone else. She had a quiet grace, a calm presence, and a gentle spirit. She rarely showed anger, and when she did, it never lingered. Her love for her family ran deep, and it showed in everything she did. She had a way of making people feel seen and appreciated. She always found something kind to say — she’d compliment my hair, my complexion, or just offer a thoughtful word when I needed it. She showed up for the little things and the big ones; and was even in the delivery room when my daughter was born — and that’s something I’ll never forget. She was part of those sacred, once-in-a-lifetime moments. Her love was quiet, steady, and unconditional. I didn’t just respect her — I loved her, deeply, like my own mother. And I will carry her memory in my heart, always. She gave so much of herself to all of us, and we are better because of it.

Alex (grandson): my favorite memory was of her making me my own personal, cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving

Austyn (granddaughter): my funniest memory is when we went to see World War Z at the theater and when I asked her how she liked it, she grinned and started chomping her teeth real fast like one of the zombies.

Linda (daughter in law): Carole was beautiful and gracious. She had a heart of gold. One of my favorite memories was with our dogs. Our dogs, Maggie and Max were always excited to go to Grandma & Grandpa’s house. We’d just say to them, “You want to go to Grandma's?” and out the back door they would tear out of the house and be ready at the truck to go to Grandma's. I'm going to miss the best mother ever!!! Love you Mom.

Alan (son): You know, my mother had the patience of a saint — and I am pretty sure I put that to the test more than once. One of my more memorable moments was the time I accidentally trapped and killed a mother opossum. Unfortunately, Mother possum left behind a pouch full of baby possums, which I should share resembled fat little rats. I decided I could raise these orphaned baby opossums myself. I bottle-fed them, kept them warm, and made them a little home — in my bedroom. Everything was going fine… until those boogers figured out how to escape. And where did they go? Straight into my parents’ room. One even ended up in my mom’s hair —and quite frankly, it’s a miracle that I survived. Any normal person may have lost it, and she was quite cross (as she might have put it), but not in a way that shamed me or scarred me for life. She definitely screamed at the possum in her hair, but she didn’t freak out. She did, however, calmly inform me that from now on, the opossums would be living outside. And that was that. It’s one of those stories that says everything about her: calm, kind, endlessly tolerant — and just a little bit brave. I’ll always remember that moment, and her, with a laugh and smile.

Darryl (son): I have many fun memories of Mom, a few that come to mind… during my 7th grade year in middle school, the only good thing about that year was those triple decker sandwiches that Mom would build for my lunch every day! They were the best!!! Another nice memory: Mom and I were in the kitchen and I started humming, “Someone's in the kitchen with Dina,” and she picked up on that and we both started singing the song together. We also used to have this funny dialogue where I would try to talk like Al Jolson, saying,”MAMMY, MAMMY, SPEAK TO ME MAMMY!” And she would smile and reply, “Hi Darryl!” We both laughed at our little skit. I’m proud to be your son, and I thank you for my life, and your help holding me up when I needed that… love you Mom.

Morgen (granddaughter): Carole, or as I knew her, Grandma, was a living embodiment of the virtue that is unconditional love. Whereas others might seek opportunities to withhold affection in order to influence or manipulate their loved ones, Grandma sought every opportunity to remind us that we could count on her love no matter what.

Once, my stepfather jokingly suggested that I ask her, "Grandma, would you still love me if I were an axe murderer?" Without hesitation, Grandma smiled, and with a twinkle in her eye she replied, "Well, I'd be disappointed in you, but I'd still love you."

As humorous as this memory may be, I believe my grandmother's sentiment expressed therein to be entirely sincere. She loved us the same in our worst moments as she did in our best ones, and she gave her love freely, generously, and often.

When I learned that baby girls are born with all of the eggs their ovaries will ever hold, I came to realize that my grandmother's mind and body supplied the love, the support, and the nourishment needed to form the egg which would eventually become me. There is no doubt in my mind that the immense love Grandma had for her family, and especially for the baby in her womb, had a positive influence on the tiny egg that makes up half of who I am today. This special connection to my grandmother is one that I’ll always cherish. Thank you, Grandma, for carrying my mother and the seed that grew into me with great care. Thank you for making all of the choices that made it possible for me to exist, and to be the person that I am. Thank you for your unwavering love, support, gifts, acts of service, compliments, encouragements, and gentle kindnesses over the years. Thank you for never letting us doubt your love. May you rest in peace. XOXO

Husband, Larry Degelman. We decided 65 years ago that Carole and I would be wife and husband. I could have never expected a better decision than that. That was in Pennsylvania, where both of us had grown up to the ripe old age of 21. We started off with modest means, and Carole never asked for anything specifically for herself, but only the essentials to have a close, loving family. That became our objective throughout marriage. She never complained about our movements as my career caused moves from one location to another in answer to new job offers. She was supportive in every way and ended up accepting our new venues with a bright and cheery outlook. As some others in Texas like to say, “We weren’t born here but we got here as soon as possible.” That was in 1978. We had three children by then and one of them remarked , “Thanks for moving us to Texas.” Even Carole became acclimated to the Texas climate and culture. And from that point forward both of us had forgotten that we never had set a commitment to spend xx years in Texas and then move somewhere else. The millennium came and went and the 21st century was in high gear. We were fortunate to do numerous visits to foreign countries and learn much about the rest of the world. Happily, together we saw our children thrive with graduations, marriage and have their own children. It was a happy life. In more recent years, Carole had some unfortunate medical afflictions, due to falls and diabetes, but this somehow brought us even closer together by virtue of her need for support in both physical and mental ways. Since that point we never went anywhere without each other. I never regretted the trying days, as I now see those as precious days that have become milestones in our marriage. I will cherish those times and wish there were ways to recover those moments and keep doing them again. I'm left with only the memory, but I'm glad these days happened. I'll always regret that we cannot ever have these moments again. I still love you Carole, and that can never be erased, Aggie honor.