WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Carol Chuckrow Guernsey died Sunday, September 1, 2019, at home with her family around her, after a seven-month struggle with a malignant brain tumor.

She was born on July 15, 1948,  in New Rochelle, N.Y., to Robert Chuckrow and Adelaide ("Petie") Phillips Chuckrow. She grew up in Chappaqua, N.Y., and attended Horace Greeley High School, where she especially loved the sciences, studying languages (traveling to Russia and France) and playing the flute.

She enjoyed her studies and got a bachelor's degree from Mt. Holyoke College, a degree in nursing from Russell Sage College and a master's degree in nurse midwifery from the Frontier School of Nursing. Professionally, she found pleasure helping women with childbirth and breastfeeding, and gave birth to two of her three children at home.

While attending Mt. Holyoke, she met the love of her life, Sherwood Guernsey, with whom she spent the rest of her days. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 21, 2019, just two months before Carol’s passing.

Carol was a smart, focused, enthusiastic, and joyful person. She was small in stature, but big in heart. Her love and care to all those around her brought goodness into the world; a quality sorely needed today.

Carol loved adventure and travel. She joined the Peace Corps with Sherwood, during which time they had two of the best years of their lives. The meaningful relationships they developed in Panama informed them in ways that served them the rest of their lives; they became avid supporters and advocates of immigrants. Later in life, she and Sherwood returned to Panama to start computer learning centers in schools in the poor rural areas that are still operating today. They also traveled throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, many European countries, and Guernsey Island.

She was also a real lover of nature and the outdoors. She enjoyed gardening, hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing and kayaking, and spending time each summer at her family home in Nantucket.

Carol understood that our personal relationships are the most important things in life. For Carol, that meant devoting herself to her three incredible children (Margo, Katie, and Matthew), and her seven grandchildren (Marla Mae, Luke, and Leo Feeney; Darvin and Aleyna Montero; and Sasha and Adrian Guernsey), all of whom survive her, along with her beloved husband Sherwood, her sister Amy Chuckrow, and her three special "serenity sisters": Deborah Windover, Doe Zottoli, and Karen Charbonneau.

Funeral notice: A celebration of this amazing woman’s life will be held on Sunday, September 8, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Williamstown, followed by a reception at her home at 402 Hancock Road, Williamstown 01267. In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to the “Fund for New World Development” c/o of Sherwood Guernsey at the home address above, to support Carol and Sherwood’s computer learning centers in Panama. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.