Carrie Stratton Obituary

Carrie Stratton, 63, of Vero Beach, FL, formerly of East Windsor, beloved wife and best friend of Michael Frey, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 7, 2025. Carrie was born in Hartford, daughter of Jean (Moore) Stratton of East Windsor and the late James Stratton, and graduated from East Windsor High School. At 16, she got a job at the Ramada Inn and continued working there for many years as a night accounting clerk and ran the restaurant and bar. Carrie then went on to work for ADP for the next 20 years as a customer service representative. While there, she went back to school and received her Bachelor's Degree at Albertus Magnus College. Carrie and Michael moved to Phoenix, AZ, and expecting to slow down, they worked harder than they ever did before by becoming the first franchise owners of a Cousin's Maine Lobster truck, providing authentic Maine lobster dishes to the residents of Arizona. After living in Arizona for ten years, they moved to Vero Beach, FL, to be closer to the East Coast and her mother. Carrie was a loving wife, daughter, sister, aunt, great aunt, and dear friend to many. She will fondly be remembered as a kind, compassionate, and gentle spirit who loved her family and friends more than anything. Carrie went out of her way to help those in need and put their needs above her own. Everything she did came from a place of love, and she loved unconditionally. Her thoughtfulness knew no bounds and even on her worst days while battling cancer, she always wanted to know how others were doing. Carrie cheered for the underdog and took people she knew needed help under her wing to take care of them, change their lives, make them feel valued, and put them on the right path with no questions asked. She gave to a fault and would give you the shirt off her back or the last dollar in her pocket if you needed it. She was honest, had a big personality, a great sense of humor, loved making people laugh, and had a smile that would light up the room. Carrie loved living a life of adventure and, in her younger years, she drove a Stock Car at Stafford Springs Motor Speedway and also enjoyed riding motorcycles. Later, she and Mike enjoyed traveling throughout the States and the Islands and Scuba Diving together, where she particularly loved seeing the Manatees. Carrie was an amazing cook, and she also loved to bake, and no one could beat her lasagna or her homemade cookies. Working in the hospitality industry for so many years, she knew how to take care of people. If you were ever fortunate enough to be invited to stay at her home, it was the best B&B you ever stayed in, right down to the thoughtful snacks, beverages, the sundries you might need while you were staying in Florida, and a mint on the pillow. Carrie loved Arts & Crafts and enjoyed painting rocks with inspirational sayings and leaving them around for people to find. During her illness, when she was feeling better, she would return to Moffitt Cancer Center to drop off inspirational rocks for the patients there, just to make them smile. Every time she returned with a new batch, the old batch was long gone. Carrie also would do random thoughtful things for people, like roll a dollar bill into a nice note and leave around the grocery store for someone to discover. She knew that the smallest acts of kindness go a long way, and she wanted to brighten people's days... one rock or one dollar bill at a time. Carrie's happy place was the beach and nothing made her happier than having the sun in her face and her toes in the sand. She especially loved Newport Beach in Rhode Island and, when she was younger, she would spend every weekend in the Summer at the campground in Newport to hang out with her mom. Carrie courageously fought a disease that would claim her life at an early age, but it never took her heart or her spirit, and the love and happiness she gave to others will live on in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved her. In addition to her husband and partner in crime for over 25 years, Mike, and her mother, Jean, she leaves to celebrate her life, her sister, Colleen Dumeer; the Littles, Ashley and Daniel, who she loved with all her heart and inspired her to always do more; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and very dear friends. Besides her father, she was predeceased by her brothers, Jay Scott Stratton and Jimmy M. Stratton. Her service will be private.