November 11, 1937- November 21, 2025
Carol Connally Stern passed away at The Terraces in Los Altos with life-long friends by her side. She was born November 11, 1937, in Troy, New York to Thomas and Florence (Palso) Connally. As a teen, Carol attended Catholic Central High School in Troy and then went on to St. Peter School of Nursing in Albany, New York where she received a diploma in nursing.
Feeling a special call to serve, Carol entered the Maryknoll Convent in Ossining, New York. After taking her vows, she was sent to St. Francis School of Anesthesia in La Crosse, WI, graduating as a nurse anesthetist. The Maryknoll sisters then sent Carol to work at Sing Mo Yiyun Maryknoll Hospital in Hong Kong. At that time anesthesia was administered as a gas, and the level of sedation was not easy to control. Carol suggested that the physicians try to administer anesthesia intravenously. The new approach was successful, and the physicians adopted the change from gas to intravenous sedation. She continued to work at Sing Mo Yiyum Hospital for seven years.
Sent by her order to Oahu, Hawaii, Carol attended the University of Hawaii, receiving a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing. Carol made the difficult decision to leave convent life and reentered secular life by taking a position at St. Francis Hospital Honolulu, HI. Looking for greater challenges, she attended Catholic University in Washington, DC where she received a Master’s Degree in Nursing. Returning to California, Carol worked at El Camino Hospital in ICU and in nursing education. Always hoping to progress and advance the field, Carol attended the University of Colorado where she received a Nurse Practitioner Certification. Returning to the Bay Area, Carol worked at UCSF in the Walk-In Clinic for AIDS patients. She later worked at Hewlett-Packard as an Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner.
In 1982, Carol married Joseph Stern, gaining two stepdaughters Stacey (Michael) Novak of Delmar, NY, and Bonnie (Paul) Wieser Manorville, NY, whom she loved dearly. When they were not engaged professionally, Carol and Joe enjoyed traveling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. Carol traveled to Hawaii to participate in three Team in Training marathons.
Carol is survived by her two stepdaughters, their husbands, and her grandchildren: Megan and Sean Novak and Timothy and Brian Wieser, her two sisters-in-law, Karen Connally of Pleasantdale, NY, and Lynn Connally and of Lansingburgh, NY and many nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, and two great grand nephews. Carol was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Joe; her two brothers, Thomas and Edward and her nephew Dennis.
Carol’s family and friends would like to express their gratitude to the caregivers of The Terraces of Los Altos, who cared for Carol with respect and dignity for several years during her battle with a progressive and debilitating illness. We are also grateful to the individuals at Kaiser Hospice, who provided exceptional care during the last months of Carol’s life.
A memorial mass will be celebrated for Carol on Friday, December 12th at St. Nicholas Church in Los Altos. Interment will be held in St. John’s Cemetery, Troy, New York.