Patricia Carroll Compton died at Woodstock Terraces on Sunday, October 5th, after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. The former College Hill resident was 82.
Known as Trish, the former Patricia Mikell Carroll was born in Grand View, New York, and grew up as the youngest of five children, enjoying life along the Hudson River. She was a 1949 graduate of Nyack High School, and received a bachelors degree in music composition from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.
After graduation, she worked for Chappell Music Publishers and RCA Victor Records in New York. In 1956 she married Raymond Compton and lived for many years in Pennington, New Jersey. In the 1970's, she and her husband purchased a home on College Hill in Woodstock, and for the past thirty years she has been a year-round resident of Woodstock. She contributed to the town in many ways. Most recently, she served as an elected member of the Woodstock Board of Village Trustees.
Trish had a lifelong love of music, and worked in management positions for several regional operas. Before moving to Vermont, she worked for the Opera Festival of New Jersey as Assistant Manager. She became Executive Director of Opera North in 1996 and held that position until 2006. She was also a member of OPERA America's Board of Directors from 2003 through 2007.
She was also deeply involved in Girl Scouting and other activities related to youth, as well as cultural exchanges to promote international understanding. She developed Russian-American exchanges for Bridges for Peace, and organized two tours of a Russian Orthodox choir in New Jersey. She loved cooking and entertaining for her family and friends, and travelled extensively. Throughout her life, she held a deep and enduring faith, and was an active member of both the Episcopal and Unitarian Universalist church communities.
Trish is survived by her sister, Rose Dale, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and thirteen nieces and nephews. Her husband Ray died in 1990. Her beloved daughter, Annette Carroll Compton Fiertz, a Woodstock resident and owner of ComptonArt, died in 2012.
A celebration of Trish's life is planned for November 8th, at 2 pm, at the North Universalist Chapel Society, 7 Church Street, Woodstock. Donations can be made in her honor to Opera America in New York, Opera North in Lebanon NH, or ArtisTree Gallery in Woodstock.