On August 21, 2025, Carolyn Ann Musgrave, 73, of George St., Newport, RI, died following a brief illness. The late Charles and Emily (McFarland) Clifford welcomed her into the world in Waterville, Maine.
Nigel Musgrave, Carolyn’s devoted husband of 53 years, her children James (Lisa) and Andrew (Emily) Musgrave of Providence, Rhode Island, her grandchildren Lillian, Clara, Charles, and Madeleine Musgrave of Providence, Rhode Island, Michaela and Isaiah Musgrave of Needham, Massachusetts, her sisters Susan (Jon) McLaughlin and Elizabeth Adamz of Houlton, Maine, and her sister-in-law Toni (David) Dickey are all living. Craig Adamz, her brother-in-law, and William Clifford, her brother, both deceased.
After graduating from Mount Merci Academy in Waterville, Maine, Carolyn was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Classical League (where she studied Latin), and the National Merit Scholar program. She worked at the Maine State Hospital in the summers as a nurse’s assistant and Candy Striper.
She met Nigel while attending the University of Rhode Island. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and earned Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Anthropology. Before relocating to Newport, where her husband bought Carrellas Pharmacy, she spent a number of years in Wakefield. Carolyn ran the books and reared her two sons while Nigel filled the prescriptions. She started Knitting Needles, which she operated for 25 years, while the kids were in school. She liquidated her business to care for her two youngest grandchildren when family called, taking the Peter Pan bus up to Boston once a week.
Carolyn was a very skilled craftswoman and seamstress. She was well-known for her several distinctive sweaters, caps, and vests, as well as the Nanna pants she made for her grandkids. Always devoted to her family, she knitted a 6-foot-wide chuppah for Andrew and Emily’s wedding over the course of nine months. She also taught her sons how to cook, which she loved.
She and Nigel enjoyed to travel, especially to London, where they would spend the evenings at whatever plays were on sale at the half-price ticket counter and the days exploring museums.
Before Covid restricted their travels, she and Nigel took many trips around Europe and the US. In addition to her grandsons’ numerous sporting endeavors, she delighted in seeing her granddaughters play on stage in dance recitals and cello concerts.
The O Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, located at 465 Spring St. in Newport, will be open for visits on Wednesday, August 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. It will be a private burial.
Donations to the Rhode Island Food Bank can be donated in place of flowers: https://rifoodbank.org/.
Please stop by our flower shop to send flowers to Carolyn’s family or plant a tree in her honor.
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