West Chester, Pa. —
Born in 1924, she was the daughter of Agnes Nicholson Stokes and Francis Collins Stokes of Moorestown, N.J. — a close-knit, rural Quaker community. Carol attended Moorestown Friends School along with her many beloved cousins and graduated from Smith College, class of 1946, with a bachelor’s degree in art and history.
She was married in 1947 to shipbuilder, industrial manager and yachtsman, Lloyd Bergeson. Carol and Lloyd raised their four children in coastal communities: Noank, Conn., Ocean Springs, Miss., Norwell, Mass. and Isle au Haut, Maine.
Carol and Lloyd moved to the Upper Valley in 2004. Carol enjoyed her two years in Cornish and seven years at Harvest Hill in Lebanon, N.H. Word has it, her Knockout roses are still blooming.
Carol was at heart a dedicated naturalist with a great curiosity about the world around her. For many years as volunteer, she designed and developed the grounds and trails of the Norwell South Shore Science Center, in Norwell. An intrepid sailor, navigator and world traveler, her adventures ranged from the peaks of Peru, to Iceland’s volcanic shores.
Her strong inner convictions, shaped by her Quaker heritage, led her to champion human rights causes and international peace efforts. From 1995 to 2004, she volunteered at the New England Friends Home in Hingham, Mass. She touched hearts and inspired many with her quiet faith.
Carol had friends of all ages and walks of life to whom she listened with deep interest and delight. A natural archivist and researcher, friends and family welcomed her lively correspondence, seeded with articles she had been carefully saving for the right person at just the right time.
She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Lloyd Bergeson, her sister, Sylvia Stokes Perry and her brother Francis C. Stokes, Jr.
She is survived by her four children: Kathryn Jensen and her husband Dave Jensen of Captain Cook, Hawaii, Eliza Bergeson of Cornish Flat, N.H., Edie Griffiths and her husband David Griffiths of Phoenixville, Pa., Henry Bergeson and wife Leilani Raashida Henry of Conifer, Colo.; two grandchildren, Johanna Griffiths O’Connell and Benjamin Griffiths; one great-grandchild, Keegan O’Connell; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Carol’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on May 4, 2019, at the at the First Parish in Bedford, 75 The Great Road, Bedford Mass.
Donations in Carol’s memory can be made to: Groton Open Space Association — http://gosaonline.org; Friends of the Isle au Haut Lighthouse — https://www.isleauhautlighthouse.org.