Carol Hooton Gault

Carol Mary Lascelles Gault 1936-2015

Carol died serenely at home in Calgary as she had wished, with her three beloved sons at her bedside. An adored and adoring mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, godmother and friend, Carol will be greatly missed in all of our lives. She was the heart of the family for her sons Clive (Julie), Michael (Moira) and Tom (Kiyomi), and her six grandchildren Rebecca, Trevor, Graham, Emily, William and Katherine. She will also be fondly remembered by her brothers Clive and Richard Carr, sisters Sarah Bagge and Mollie Armstrong as well as by all her family around the globe.

Born in Wales, Carol spent most of her childhood in Surrey, England with a sojourn in Canada during WWII before completing her education in Switzerland. At 18 years old, she married a Canadian diplomat, Frank G. Hooton and together, they toured the world, taking on assignments in Paris, Bonn, Saigon and Ottawa before finally settling in Montreal to raise a family. In later life she married Leslie H. Gault and helped raise his three sons Nicholas, Alexander and Sebastian. Carol loved to laugh and share good times with friends and family, creating many memorable events in Charlevoix, London, Montreal, and Calgary. Carol’s natural elegance and style meant everything was always pure perfection.

An accomplished athlete, Carol enjoyed tennis and golf with her many friends at the Montreal Indoor Tennis and Murray Bay Golf Clubs. An avid bridge player, Carol loved a competitively fun afternoon at Calgary’s Ranchman Club.

Her ability to create beauty, evident in her lovely gardens and the warm welcoming atmosphere in all her homes, was recognized by her community, and Carol was often consulted as a designer in both domains. She was also a corporate board member, providing her insights and perspectives to BMO, The National Capital Commission, The Park Lane Hotel, and at Settler’s Beach in Barbados.

Carol believed that we can choose to be positive in our lives. She taught us that even through adversity, illness, difficult family situations, we should be grateful for all that is good in our lives, that to be loved and to give love is our greatest foundation. Carol certainly provided that to us all. We were so very blessed to have her in our lives.

We thank Dr. Tom Szabo and the wonderful palliative care nurses who provided exceptional care and looked after our mother with kindness and tenderness until the end.

Friends are welcome to join us in celebrating Carol’s life on Tuesday, October 13th 5-8pm at 4094 Cote des Neiges.

Published in The Gazette on Sept. 26, 2015