Carolyn Fife McDaniel, a resident of Will Rogers in Saranac Lake, died on Good Friday, March 29, 2024, following a brief illness. She was 82.
She was born on May 23, 1941, to Austin Fife and Alta Stevens Fife in Los Angeles, California. Her childhood was spent traveling in western states and France with her parents who were scholars of American culture and folklore. She graduated from the University of Maryland nursing school in 1960 and moved to New York City in 1964 where she began working at New York Women’s Hospitals in obstetrics. In her nursing career that spanned more than four decades, she worked for Essex County Public Health, Franklin County Public Health, Uihlein Nursing Home in Lake Placid and nursing homes in Palm Beach County Florida. The final and most rewarding years of her career were spent as a hospice nurse.
She was pre-deceased by her parents and her beloved second husband, Harry McDaniel, in 2014. She is survived by her sister, Marian Morgan of St. George, Utah; two sons, George Langdon and wife Linda of Shelburne, Vemront, and Stephen Langdon and wife Leslie of Saranac Lake; her niece Nina Volland and husband Kevin of Savanah, Georgia; her stepson Timothy McDaniel and wife Judy of Nashua, New Hampshire; her nephew James Pitman of Cape Canaveral, Florida; seven grandchildren who filled her with delight and wonder — Emma, Ben, Sam, Simon, and Felix (Langdon) and Patrick and Sarah (McDaniel) — and her cat, Lucy. She was a member of St. Josephs Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Her family is deeply grateful to the Saranac Lake Volunteer Ambulance Service, the nurses and staff at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake and the Albany Medical Center, and the remarkable community at Saranac Village at Will Rogers who welcomed her warmly for the past 15 months. A memorial service will take place at a later date to be announced.
Funeral arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake. In lieu of flowers, gifts and donations can be made to Hospice of the North Country or Saranac Lake Volunteer Ambulance Service.
