Essex – Addison Marie “Addi” Carroll, 12, passed away peacefully on June 10, 2022 at Boston Children’s Hospital surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Burlington on April 24, 2010 to Ian and Tammy (Rowe) Carroll.
Addi lived her life with unparalleled passion and purpose. She was community oriented and was a beloved member of the Essex Fire Department Family. Her call sign was 15A1, she tracked all calls and was happiest when she was near “my firefighters” or heard that they were safe back in quarters. Essex Fire also named a Fire Truck after her. Like Addi, Addi’s Engine (Engine 2) is all wheel drive and takes anything life has to throw at it. Addi’s Engine symbolizes courage, devotion and resilience and reminds people to take care of each other. It will keep our community and Addi’s fire brothers & sisters safe for years to come.
Addi repeatedly defied the medical odds, drew everyone she met to her and helped them believe in possibilities. She had a large, brilliant team of doctors and scientists led by two who fiercely pursued miracles for Addi. Nearly all of her medical care happened out of state. Despite all of the hard things she endured there, she truly enjoyed spending time with her people at Boston Children's Hospital (where she spent nearly one quarter of the days of her short life). Her last 3 years, she traveled there by small plane thanks to a non-profit called Angel Flight NE. She was an adventurous flier, putting her arms in the air for take offs and landings and a love for the “bumpies” which were always met with an infectious giggle.
Addi also enjoyed being part of her school community. She was silly, social and excited when she was with her friends. She was deaf-blind, cognitively impaired and had numerous severe and complex medical issues. She was educated remotely the past couple of years from her home to protect her from germs - and the past six months from Boston Children’s Hospital where she was admitted. She participated in school using a robot called the Addibot. When she logged in, the lights would come on and all of the kids would come rushing to greet her…and the teachers would often call out to tell her to “stop running in the halls.”
At home, she enjoyed playing with our family and pets. Her favorite things to do were to play the mystery game, drive her home fire truck, swing, swim and play with dolls or her ice cream truck. She never complained, even when she became fully paralyzed. Now that her medical battle is done and she is free of pain, we hope she leaves everyone her life has touched inspired to be present in life, believe in possibilities, find joy, be an engaged member of their community and help others.
Addi is loved by many and survived by her parents Ian and Tammy (Rowe) Carroll, two sisters Savannah “Sam” Carroll and Isabella “Izzy” Carroll, grandparents Donna and Ken Rowe, Pamela Ann Suprenant and Michael Carroll, the Essex Town Fire Department and her best friends Brynn and Max.
A celebration of life full of firefighter traditions will be held on Thursday June 30th at 11:00 a.m. at Essex Alliance Church, 37 Old Stage Road, Essex, VT. followed by a reception at Essex Fire Department, 190 Sand Hill Rd, Essex VT. The Ceremony will be streamed live via
https://youtu.be/0y1-t8gpLko and video footage of the ceremony and fire truck processional can be seen via
https://youtu.be/LIfhUn_FryY
Wear anything (formal or informal) that makes your feel comfortable and reminds you of Addi! She loved pink, red ("like a fire truck"), hats, fire service Tshirts and things that sparkle!
Addi would want donations to go to: The Essex Firefighter's Association,
http://essexfire.com/donate.html
Essex Fire Association, 81 Main St., Essex Junction, VT 05452. Donations can also be made to Angel Flight NE
https://www.angelflightne.org/
Taken from the world far to soon, we honor her legacy by continuing to spread her powerful messages and story. To learn more about Addi and her Big Beautiful Life & Legacy please visit
https://bigbeautifullife.org/
Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.