Carroll
is a well-known figure who grew up in Brookside and Morristown. After
marriage to the former Adele Hado, he moved to Chatham, where the
couple raised their son, Robert . Their love affair lasted 68 years,
until her death in March 2006. Dot Morehouse, a neighbor of Joe and Adele Carroll, remembers what an asset Joe Carroll was to the neighborhood. "Joe
was a wonderful neighbor," Morehouse said. "He and his wife, Adele, and
son, Robert, were an active part of our neighborhood in Chatham for 48
years. He is well known for his humor and generosity. I enjoy hearing
his stories." Perhaps the legendary luck of the Irish was
bestowed on Carroll because he was born on St. Patrick's Day, March 17,
1914. His stories reveal a life that had many lucky breaks leading him
into situations that benefited his ever-changing circumstances. He
grew up with eight brothers and four sisters. His brothers Bob and Jack
live in Morris Plains; Eddie lives in Mendham Township, where he tends
to his farm. For many years, Joe Carroll's father, Eugene, was
the foreman on the Scribner estate. The estate, called "The Gables,"
was located on Van Bueren Avenue in Harding. This is where the Carroll
family lived. The children grew up among the wealthy and, of course,
the farm and its many pleasures. Joe Carroll reminisced about their life on the farm. "We
were lucky to be living on a farm even though we didn't own it. We had
our horse, turkeys, chickens and geese. The Scribners treated us like
family." Carroll enjoyed a long and productive work career that began at the age of 7. "Coming
from a family of 13 children, I knew if I was going to have pocket
money for candy like the other kids, I was going to have to work for
it. On my way to school each morning I passed a very large man by the
name of Mr. Keyes sweeping the sidewalk in front of his store. It was
the American Store on South Street (the Acme chain). It gave me the
idea to offer to sweep the sidewalk every school day for him if he
would pay me 5 cents a day. I was very excited when he agreed. "He
liked my work so well he eventually promoted me to delivery boy. It was
the beginning of a work career that continued until final retirement at
the age of 85." A con man with a goatee in a fancy car stole some
groceries the 11-year-old Carroll was delivering for Mr. Keyes. The
incident caused him to fear losing his job, so he resigned and went to
work at Loyola House of Retreats on James Street in Morristown. In
addition to serving meals to the retreatants, he became an altar boy.
He kept this job until he finished high school. While at Loyola,
Carroll experienced a calling to the priesthood. He also was
experiencing a conflict because of his affection for women, especially
a young lady by the name of Mary Lou. When he discussed his
calling and the resulting conflict with Father Stark, his mentor at
Loyola, Father Stark advised him to attend Brady's Home for Jesuit
priests in Peapack for a year. Carroll knew after a short time the
clergy was not the life for him. Of his experience, his assessment was
that the secular had more allure. "I enjoyed the music in town on
Saturday nights and realized this was not the life for me," he said.
"Besides, I was still thinking about Mary Lou." Carroll attended
Bayley Grammar School and Bayley High School in Morristown, located
behind the Assumption Church on Maple Avenue. The schools have since
been torn down; Bayley Grammar School was replaced by the Assumption
School on Macculloch Avenue, and the high school was replaced by
Bayley-Ellard High School in Madison. The high school closed its doors
in 2005. Carroll's many careers all worked in his favor. He
worked for PSE&G for 20 years, then drove the No. 70 bus in
Morristown for another 20 years. At age 50 he went to Triangle
Industries and stayed there for 18 years. Carroll continued to
work even after retirement. He drove a limo transporting travelers to
Newark Airport (now Newark Liberty Airport). He reminisced about one of the most interesting jobs he ever had. "I
worked for the U.S. Air Force during World War II making aircraft
radios for the planes used by our Air Force and the U.S Army. We made
single radios for the smaller fighter planes, two sets of radios for
the larger planes and three sets for the bombers. I must have been good
at it because I was promoted to assistant manager six months after I
started. Unfortunately, when the war ended, so did my job." Among his many loves are old cars. He had a succession of old cars that he kept replacing for $50 as each one had to be retired. "When
I took my wife on our first date, I was driving a 1932 Auburn. She
didn't like it because it didn't have runner boards and had low seats,
so I had to get rid of it. I had a friend who owned the Ford salesroom
at the corner of Market and Maple streets. He helped me get other old
cars that would run for a while and then conk out. I kept getting
others to replace them." Sports proved to be both a love and a
distraction in high school. He played football and baseball. Golf has
been yet another romance that has lasted for more than 80 years. At the
age of 9 he caddied for a wealthy gentleman who gave him his golf clubs
when he could no longer play himself. Corr and Carroll became
friendly when they both belonged to the Early Birds at the Madison
YMCA. The Early Birds are a group of varied age gentlemen from various
walks of life who enjoy the camaraderie of exercising together. They
have become good friends and schedule regular get togethers. In
addition to exercising together regularly, Carroll and Corr also played
golf weekly. Corr said Carroll is a really strong player. "I am 72 and Joe is 93. I have not been able to beat Joe on the golf course yet," Corr said. In
addition to writing Carroll's memoir, Corr has published three other
books: "A Kid from Legaginney," "Living, Laughing and Loving Thru
Marriage" and "Bridges from Legaginney." Corr has experienced
some of his own life challenges. He was pastor at St. Vincent Martyr
Church in Madison from 1979 to 1988. One of his biggest challenges was
his decision to leave the priesthood. His work as a marriage and family
therapist enlightened him that this was not a natural life for him. "After
28 joy-filled years as a Catholic priest, I resigned the priesthood to
marry Laurie Hutton. I have continued my ministry as marriage and
family therapist, professor and writer. As an active Rotarian, I foster
dialogue between Muslims, Jews and Christians as a step towards world
peace and understanding." Carroll's son Robert is the second most
important love of his life. Robert is now 62 years old. When his mother
became ill, he brought his father and mother to New Canaan, Conn., to
live near him and his wife, Barbara. Joe Carroll is content to
play golf with Robert once or twice a week and enjoy his late afternoon
cocktail hour with his daughter-in-law, Barbara, and the many visits
from his three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Joe Carroll, at the age of 93, was moved to
share his stories about his life to a good friend and golf partner,
Finbarr M. Corr. Corr, a former Catholic priest, now married and living
in Dennis, Mass., recorded Carroll's stories in a book called "The Many
Loves of Joe Carroll: A Memoir As Told to Finbarr M. Corr."
Marie L. Pfeifer is a freelance writer.