Muriel Ottley Carmichael, 94, passed away at home on Friday, April 17, with her loving family at her side. Muriel was born in London, England, on March 7, 1921, to the late Annie and George Ottley. A WWII war bride married to the late Frank K. Carmichael, Muriel arrived in this country on board the Queen Mary in 1946 with 2000 other brides and dependents. During WWII, Muriel was promoted from the position of cashier to that of head bookkeeper of Lloyds Bank in Andover. She was also a volunteer member of the Ambulance Corps for the City of Andover. Muriel lived in Northford, Conn., for 56 years before moving to Somers, Conn. She was a member of the Northford Homemakers Club and the Northford – North Branford Women's Club. She also worked for many years as a volunteer for the Connecticut Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Inc. Muriel and Frank, starting from nothing in 1952, together built an automotive service station business, which served to help Northford grow from a small farm town into a thriving commuter haven 20 years later. Muriel is survived by her son, David, and his wife, Mary Alice Fisher, of Wilton and her daughter, Ann, and her husband, Robert Fearnley, of Somers. She leaves four grandchildren, Kirstin, Joshua, William, and Lally, and many beloved nieces and nephews in both the U.S. and England. She was predeceased by her two sisters, Grace Viney and Marjorie Stevens.
Funeral services will be conducted in the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Ave., Thursday at 1:00 pm. Interment will follow in Northford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the hospice patient care fund of the Visiting Nurse and Health Services of Connecticut, Inc., 8 Keynote Dr., Vernon, CT 06066.