Carol Shaw Georgia, a longtime resident of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, passed away on August 24, 2026, at 83. An accomplished painter and devoted art teacher, Carol lived a life shaped by creativity, family, and the many friendships she made along the way.
Carol was born on October 7, 1942, in Oil City, Pennsylvania, the daughter of George E. Shaw and Mary Croyle and stepdaughter of Jack Croyle. She moved to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, at the age of seven, where she grew up surrounded by painters and a deeply creative family. She attended Ithaca College, where she met her future husband, Richard. Years later, she returned to school to pursue her passion for art. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and earned a Certificate in Fine and Applied Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Art was a defining part of Carol’s life. A gifted painter, she also had a remarkable ability to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with others. When her daughters were young, she taught painting and drawing from the family’s garage in Rehoboth. She later taught at the Attleboro Museum and exhibited her work extensively throughout the region, including at the Attleboro Museum, Wickford Art Association, and Carpenter Museum. Her work received numerous honors, including first and second prizes in oils from the Wickford Art Association.
Carol’s creativity extended well beyond her own artwork. She brought that same imagination to raising her daughters, from designing and making elaborate Halloween costumes to creating memorable birthdays and finding imaginative ways to engage them with art, animals, and the world around them.
Their childhood included bunnies, parakeets, chickens, dogs, cats, goats, and even a small crocodile and rescued sun turtles who became temporary houseguests in the family bathtub, giving Carol opportunities to teach her daughters about the natural world. She instilled in both daughters a lifelong love of animals that remains a big part of their lives today. Her creativity also found its way into family traditions and holidays, including the Christmas fruitcakes she faithfully made and gave to friends each year, a tradition whose enthusiastic following may have surprised at least one of her daughters.
Carol shared an especially close bond with her granddaughter, Alessandra (Ali), to whom she was “Grammy.” She cared for Ali from the time she was an infant, and their days together were filled with trips to playgrounds, museums and libraries, time with animals, and, naturally, plenty of art. As Grammy, Carol especially loved introducing Ali to different artistic mediums, passing along the creativity and curiosity she had fostered in her own daughters.
Carol had many dear and longtime friends, some stretching back decades. Their stories and memories reflect how deeply those friendships mattered and how much they treasured their time with her.
She is survived by her daughters, Stephanie Georgia and Heather Marciello, and Heather’s husband, David; her granddaughter, Alessandra (Ali) Marciello; her step-grandchildren, Nicholas and Jessica Marciello; her brother, Shelley Croyle, and his wife, Penny; as well as extended family and many friends. She was predeceased by her father, George E. Shaw; her mother, Mary Croyle; her stepfather, Jack Croyle; and her loyal companions, Lucy and Squeaks the Cat.
Following cremation, Carol’s remains will be placed in a niche in Cypress Columbarium at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, alongside her mother and stepfather.
A gathering of family and friends to remember Carol will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Carpenter Museum in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, where some of Carol’s artwork will be on display. There will be no formal service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carol’s memory to the Carpenter Museum. Additional information, directions, and a way to contact the family can be found at www.carolsgeorgia.com
