María del Carmen Carbó, “Carmen,” 99, formerly of Mexico and New Milford, passed away at Danbury Hospital on April 18, 2020. Born and raised in Mexico, she moved to Connecticut in 1985 to be closer to her son’s family.

The third of six children, she was predeceased by her siblings Alfonso, Victoria, Jaime, José, and Ismael, all of Mexico.

Born in Pachuca, Mexico, the daughter of Jaime Carbó and Carmen Peredo, she was raised by her aunt Amada and her husband Francisco Allen, growing up in Lerdo, Durango, Mexico. In her early years, she learned and mastered the piano, sharing her talents with children under her instruction, with multiple performing recitals. Carmen received an offer to join Mexico’s Symphony Orchestra, but the amount of travel required resulted in family life taking precedence.

During World War II, she volunteered knitting sweaters for the British Embassy in Mexico, to be sent to the troops fighting in Europe.

Married, in 1949, to Glenn Middleton, she moved to Maryland before returning to Mexico where she raised her son, with immeasurable love and dedication.

Carmen was a devout Catholic who prayed the Rosary every day and attended daily Mass as often as she could. A longtime member of St Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in New Milford, she was engaged in a number of activities in support of the church, which earned her the 2011 Archdiocesan Medal of Appreciation, presented to her by The Most Reverend Henry J. Mansell, Archbishop of Hartford, for her contributions to the parish community.

Carmen is survived by her son Francisco and his wife, Rosa Middleton, of Sandy Hook; grandchildren Fran and his wife, Julie, of Needham, Mass. and Monica and her husband, Nuno Lopes, of Sandy Hook; and four beautiful grandchildren, Olivia and Nathaniel Middleton and Ezekiel and Rhys Lopes.

Due to the current COVID-19 Health Department directives, private graveside services were scheduled at St Rose of Lima Cemetery in Newtown for April 22. A memorial Mass will be scheduled later in the spring at St Rose of Lima Church in Newtown.

Carmen’s family sends a special thank you to the incredible medical and nursing staff at Danbury Hospital for the compassionate care they provided to her and support to our family; it will never be forgotten. Her family is also grateful to the rehab and nursing staff at The Lutheran Home of Southbury who cared for her during her time there.