Obituary of Carolyn L. Xenakes

Carolyn Louise Xenakes “ Carol” age, 83 of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, formerly of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, died on Friday, February 7, 2025 at Riddle Memorial Hospital.  Carol was born on October 30, 1941 in Philadelphia, PA, and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, Philadelphia.

Carol was employed at Aces Insurance in Philadelphia, where she met her future husband, Napoleon Xenakes. She also worked at Bookbinders Foods as an office secretary in the 1980s and as a front office assistant at Aronimink Golf Club in the 1990s. Mostly, Carol was a stay-at-home mom who kept herself busy with all of the things that come along with maintaining a homestead.

Carol was not a veteran although, as a young lady she did entertain troops who were home on leave by offering 10-cent dances!

Carol was a life-long Episcopalian and a 55-year member of Holy Comforter Church. She was a member of the altar guild for 30 years. Carol was the only child of German and French descent, lived in Greece (1974-1976) where she learned square dancing and cooking Greek delicacies.  A chocolatier who sold creations to local shops and out of her home in Drexel Hill. A master in the kitchen, she was never afraid to try new recipes and use her children as test subjects. Family members rarely tasted a store-bought birthday cake, it was always a homemade spectacular theme cake, a 3-dimensional, multi-tiered creation designed with a bowling alley, beach scene, cruise ship or whatever was the current interest at the time.

Carol was an avid Scrabble player who refused to lose – mounting contentious matches against her children and grandchildren at her second home in Wildwood Crest where she resided during the summer months. She also battled against fellow Scrabble players from her community of Fox Hill Farms – Maureen, Carole and Sara. Carol was also a troop leader for Brownies and Cub Scouts for her young children and took her grandchildren to Home Depot to learn woodworking techniques.

Carol enjoyed a host of hobbies; from sewing to plumbing and everything in between. She was a Jack-of-All-Trades, willing to try anything and everything to extend the life of slip covers on a sofa, to an aging garbage disposal and the squeaky, aluminum doors on a track that hid away the ancient washer and dryer.

Carol was the ultimate handy person, always looking to give new life to articles that were out of date and out of warranty. She would tell her kids that, just like them, she didn’t get rid of things just because they were old. She was the embodiment of reuse, repurpose and refuse to discard. Old window treatments were transformed into “stylish” clothing for her kids and random pieces of wood would appear as decorative lawn art. She reminded her family to always be on the lookout for pinecones, conch shells and pieces of driftwood because she had ideas percolating that she wanted to put into action. Carol was the MacGyver of home improvement.

As a child who grew up during World War II and the 1950s, Carol was well aware of the value of a dollar. She was the ultimate shopper, planning out her travels in advance for which stores she would hit, with which coupons gave her the most bang for her buck. She could not pass up a bargain, even if it wasn’t something she needed (her son has 15 bottles of mouthwash to prove it!). Her miles and miles of CVS receipts and Extra Bucks were her validation and the points she earned on shopping apps on her phone gave her purpose. She passed along her thriftiness to her family, both a blessing and a curse at times.

Carol enjoyed her trips to the casinos, squirreling away some cash that she seldom actually used. Her satisfaction and excitement came from little victories, the voucher for $1.24 would suit her just fine, not to mention the comps at the buffet and the free rooms where she could relax and forget about the real world for a few hours. ABBA, Jimmy Buffet and steel drum music were her travel music, while cooking shows and Jeopardy were her pastimes at home.

 Carol was predeceased by her husband, Napoleon “Nick” Xenakes, by 35 years on June 15, 1990. Her parents, Charles and Mabel, 3 sisters-in-law and 3-brothers-in-law.

Survivors: Carol is survived by her two children, Stephanie and Gregg, their spouses Milan and Jennifer, her grandchildren, Nickole (fiancé Colin) and Nickolas, sister-in-law Robin, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

The family will have a Celebration of Life luncheon and will contact family and friends with more details once they are confirmed. Please save the date, June 15, 2025, to help us remember Carol.

Memorial Donations: In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Carol to www.loveblue.org an organization based in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey that focuses on preserving our oceans and environment.