Carol ann harris photography hackettstown

Carol Ann Kent

Beloved Wife, Mother, Aunt and Friend 

Carol Ann Kent, of West Caldwell, New Jersey, peacefully passed away on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 after a long illness.

Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey in 1942 to David Leroy and Dorothy (Eggler) Peterson, Carol was a lifelong resident of West Caldwell.

Following graduation from Centenary College in Hackettstown and the Newark School for Fine and Industrial Art, Carol began a career as a commercial artist.

She met the love of her life, Sam and they married in 1967. They were inseparable and since Sam was a dedicated Rotarian, she was right there alongside him at most of the Rotary functions - the golf outings at Knoll Country Club, Casino Nights, Wild West Circus in Pine Brook, the holiday parties and of course the Caldwell Street Fair from its inception.

Due to her extraordinary support, The Rotary Club of the Caldwells awarded Carol the Paul Harris Recognition Award in 2019.

When their son Matt was born, she devoted herself fulltime to motherhood.  Once he was grown, Carol began teaching literacy and then joined Smull Treasures, a consignment shop in Caldwell. After that closed, she was instrumental in the founding of its successor shop, Willing Hearts and its introduction to the Rotary Club of the Caldwells in the late 1990's. Carol continued to volunteer weekly at Willing Hearts until 2015.

Carol had many friends and appreciated spending time with them. She enjoyed traveling to see her sister as well as summer trips to Maine, the Jersey Shore and especially Vermont. She hosted many family holidays and everyone loved to attend. She loved her cats, enjoyed watching birds and was a kind gentle soul to all.

When her granddaughter Star was born, she became the joy of Carol’s life. They spent a great deal of precious time together over the years and Star was her constant b

Carol Ann Harris, age 84, of Rockaway passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at Saint Clare’s Dover Hospital, Dover, NJ.  Carol was born August 31, 1937 in Burlington, VT  to the late Stanley H. Rumney and Chrystal F. (Palmer) Rumney.   Carol graduated from Goddard College, Plainfield, VT with a B. A. in Art Education. She was a proud member of the New Jersey Potters Guild.

Carol’s first love was her family. She enjoyed raising her eight children. She hosted many great parties, cooked wonderful meals, took us on many camping trips and our most memorable trip being all 10 of us on a month long trip around the US. She was very artistic and enjoyed all the arts. She especially enjoyed cooking, knitting, sewing, pottery and plays in New York City.  In her early years she opened and co-owned The Village Collage, Chester NJ. She had a passion for helping those in need and worked as a certified social worker and managed a group home for adults with special needs. She enjoyed bringing happiness to others. She has always been an artist and realized her dreams of opening her own pottery studio, Carol’s Undergrown Clayworks, Rockaway, NJ, which became her studio, shop and classroom for years. Some students attended classes for over 30 years.

All who met Carol were inspired by her zest for life, kindness, and her talents. Her passion for art was amazing. She once said, “Nothing excites me more then getting my hands in clay and trusting and turning it to evolve into its own creation. For many years now when I go into my studio I think of loved ones that have passed away. I pick a name, gaze at a photograph and remembering  the good times, I let the clay create a celebration of their life.”

Carol is survived by her husband Joel Harris, Rockaway, NJ, sons Ken DeFazio,Hackettstown, David DeFazio, Dover,NJ, Alan DeFazio, Piedmont, SC, Christian (Cathy), Payson,AZ, Keith (Maria) DeFa

On 3/11/16 at approx 1:18AM the Hackettstown Police responded to Bea McNally’s (109 Grand Ave) in reference to a stabbing that occurred inside the restaurant near the bar. While officers were on scene, the officers were advised by the dispatch center that the person who was stabbed left the restaurant. There were approximately 200 individuals inside the restaurant, who were detained, so they could be checked to see if anyone had a weapon and a search was also conducted of the restaurant to see if there was any evidence of a crime that was committed. Officers determined that no one inside the restaurant had a weapon and there was no evidence of a crime. Through cell phone records it was determined that 22yro Tyler Ormen of Hackettstown, NJ dialed 911 multiple times. One of the phone calls, Tyler stated he was stabbed and another call stated that another individual was stabbed and bleeding in the bar. Tyler was located at his residence and he stated he wasn’t injured and he knew of nobody else being injured. Tyler stated he only dialed 911 to report that he had issues with patrons causing problems at the restaurant. Tyler was charged with False Public Alarm (3rd degree crime) and False Public Alarm (4th degree crime). Bail was set at $7,500.00 with no 10% option. Tyler was unable to post the bail and was then lodged in the Warren County Correctional Facility. Assisting at the scene was the Hackettstown Detective Bureau, Mansfield Twp Police, Independence Twp Police, Mount Olive Twp Police, Washington Twp Police (Morris County), Washington Twp Police (Warren County), Roxbury Twp Police (Morris County), New Jersey State Police, Lebanon Twp Police (Hunterdon County), Hackettstown Rescue Squad and Saint Clare’s Medic Unit.