Carole Anne Fallon's Obituary
Carole Anne Fallon passed away peacefully on March 20, 2026, in Fort Myers, Florida, with her family by her side.
Carole was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on January 9, 1944, the eldest child of Joe and Chrissie Houston. Her first home was one of the prefabs put up for military families after World War II, and for the rest of her life she would speak of her memories of that time and place: the sound of rain on the tin roof; the smell of baking in her mother's kitchen; radio mysteries on Friday nights.
Carole grew up in the Catholic Church. She attended Garnet Hill Convent and every day for lunch went to her grandmother’s house, just across the street. At 17, she left school and started work in a railroad office, the first of several jobs ranging from part-time bartender to telephone switchboard operator. It was during this time that Carole developed her amazing sense of style, dying her hair jet black and teasing it into a bouffant to set off her black eyeliner and white lipstick — later, as a young mother, she'd have a dramatic Cleopatra bob. She had blossomed into a funny and fun-loving young woman known for her dazzling smile and long legs.
In 1962, 18-year-old Carole began going out with Michael Fallon, a shy university student she'd known since they were both 11. In 1968, they were married and moved into a high-rise in the New Town of East Kilbride, and Carole continued to work while Michael completed a PhD. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Melanie Jane, in Scotland in 1970, and in 1972 welcomed their second daughter, Jennifer Ann, in Hayes, Middlesex, England, where they had moved for Michael's first job.
Thus began a lifetime of moves, travel and adventure. From England, in 1973, the family went to the United States: first Houston, Texas, where Carole learned to drive and swim, then a small town outside Chicago, where she became deeply involved in her children's education. Carole was everything from the Art Lady to the PTA Newsletter Editor to the Easter Bunny — showing up in a white rabbit costume and Styrofoam egg-carton teeth. Next came Albany, Georgia, where she performed in musicals at the local theater, specializing in character roles such as a Russian countess and a clown in a wild wig. It was also in Albany that Carole went back to school, receiving her associate’s degree in nursing at Albany Junior College and finding her vocation as an R.N. She sang “When You Walk Through a Storm” at her class graduation in her white dress and cap, and soon afterwards joined the staff of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.
Carole would identify as a nurse for the rest of her life. In 1985, she had to take a brief break from that role, however, because the family moved back to England. She made a charming home in a 17th century cottage in the Hampshire countryside and probably spent more time
than she would have liked driving her teenage daughters through the rolling green hills to their own convent school and various social engagements.
Not that Carole was without social engagements of her own. She made friends easily wherever she went, attracting people with her laughter, her stories, her flair for fashion, and her gift for listening. During their years in England, she and Michael loved visiting country pubs, hopping over to Copenhagen for their anniversary, and renting a gỉte in the south of France for a family holiday. But above all Carole loved being close to family again — especially her younger sister, Christine. Towards the end of 1986, the family left village life behind and moved to the picturesque market town of Farnham in Surrey. There, Carole became close with a group of women she met in aerobics class, and together they went to The Redgrave Theatre’s stage production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in full costume. She was also a favorite of Melanie and Jennifer's friends, her kitchen often full of teenagers who found her hilarious.
In 1987, it was back to America for the Fallons and back to nursing for Carole, first as a floor nurse at Tallahassee Community Hospital in Florida and then as a hospice nurse in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Carole considered hospice care her greatest calling. She was the founding director of the Compassionate Care Hospice Program at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, and a fierce advocate for end-of-life pain management, educating doctors and dubbing herself "The Morphine Maven." Once both girls had left for college, Carole and Michael moved to Philadelphia, where she spent the last few years of her career as a nurse for disabled adults. From there, she continued to accompany Michael as his work took him to Toronto, Canada, rural Cambridgeshire in England, Philadelphia once more — and finally to Shanghai, China.
In 2005, Carole and Michael retired to Sanibel Island in Florida, where they created a beautiful sanctuary that became a destination for family and friends from all over the world, including students they hosted from China and Spain. They continued to travel far and wide, returning to China to see Beijing, and visiting Japan, Malaysia, Nepal (where she stayed in a mountaintop Buddhist Monastery), Tunisia (where she rode a camel), Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Puerto Rico, as well as Italy, Spain and France. And at home in Sanibel, Carole once more gathered a circle of friends from her neighborhood, the Senior Center and the local chapter of the American Heart Association, which was particularly important to her, having survived a heart attack at age 53.
Despite a series of grueling health challenges, Carole loved to laugh, sing, tell silly stories and dance. She frequently reminded her family that as a young woman she could "kick her own height." She loved candles and fairy lights and ambiance; she hated overhead lights.
She loved making up words and expressions that permanently entered the family lexicon, and she liked that her Confirmation name, Thérèse, was French.
Last but far from least, Carole adored her American grandson, Leo, and her many nieces, nephews, grandnephews and grandnieces in the UK. She never forgot anyone's birthday or let a holiday, loss or milestone go unrecognized, but she didn't need a special occasion to send a card, a letter or a wee gift.
Carole Anne Thérèse Houston Fallon was a light in the world. We are heartbroken to lose her, and she will forever be missed.
Carole is survived by her husband, Michael J. Fallon and daughter Jennifer Fallon (husband Robert Conk) of Fort Myers; daughter Melanie Fallon (partner Sally Sasso) and grandson Leo Sasso-Fallon of Deerfield, Massachusetts; sister Christine Hutcheson ( John) of Glasgow, Scotland; niece Geraldine Ralph (Tony) and their children Matthew, Christopher and Lucy of Glasgow; nephew Anthony Hutcheson (wife Jeannot) and their sons Rory, Andrew and Mark of Glasgow; nephew Phillip Ferguson (Laura) and their children Logan and Struan of Glasgow; niece Katherine Burke (Patrick) and their sons Torrian and Caelan of Haywards Heath, England; niece Orla Fallon (partner Paul Jamieson) of Glasgow; sister-in-law Josephine Ferguson of Glasgow; brother-in-law Martin Fallon (Colette Fitzsimmons) of Glasgow; brother-in-law Paul Fallon of Edinburgh, Scotland; and sister-in-law Rachel Fallon of Oxfordshire, England. She is predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Christina Houston, her brother Ronald Houston, her mother-in-law Mary Fallon, and her brothers-in-law Anthony Fallon and Thomas Ferguson.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1589 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, 8121 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33919. A reception to continue the celebration of her life will follow at the Colonial Family Center at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens.
Memorial contributions in Carole's name may be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.
Arrangements are being handled by Fort Myers Memorial Gardens.
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