Inspiring Women February 2023

Carol celebrating her great life. (from left)
Carol’s mother, Jovan Spears, aged 74
Carol’s son, Massimiliano Silenzi, daughter,
Kimberly Silenzi Fontanelli, and grandson,
Andrea Fontanelli, in Amsterdam.
Carol with her grandbaby! (below)
I would love to tell you all about my wonderful
adventures as a Pan Am stewardess, but suffice
it to say that I flew the world and broadened
my horizons.
In January 1966, I resigned from my job at Pan
Am and left to study German at the Goethe
Institute in a small town near the Austrian
border (very handy for skiing!). When the course
finished, I moved to Munich and began studying
at the University of Munich.
And then my life changed completely
I was hired by the CIA in Munich and began my
25-year career working on a special Cold War
project. In July 1968, I was transferred from
Munich to Rome. During this period, I met my
husband-to-be and started a family – a son,
Massimiliano, born in 1977, and a daughter,
Kimberly, in 1979. My project with the CIA lasted
until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In 1998, I was hired by an American international
law firm to set up and manage their Italian
offices. I retired in June 2012 and moved to
Colorado Springs to be close to my aging
mother, and I reside there to this day. Still good
friends, my husband and I are separated. My
daughter and grandson live in Rome, and my
son lives in Amsterdam.
Appreciating “me time”
My life before retirement was glamorous and
exciting, but also involved long working hours
and a lot of stress. Between work and family,
I never had time for myself. My newly found
freedom from work has given me the
opportunity to do all the outside activities,
professional and otherwise, that I never had
time for. So, for me, I am in a new, exciting
chapter of life – professionally, giving back to
my new-found local community, and aging
gracefully by diving into reading of all kinds
and many sports.
What are you involved in now?
I joined FAUSA shortly after moving back to
America, served for three years on their board,
and I organized their 2014 Getaway in Colorado
Springs. One of my most rewarding experiences
has been serving as a mentor for the KPWE
scholarship program at UCCS (kpwe.uccs.edu).
I also volunteered for several years at Stable
Strides (health and healing through horses
www.stablestrides.org), and I belong to the local
Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club, where I have had
the opportunity to participate in many social
and philanthropic activities, establish close
friendships, and continuously serve on their
board in various positions since joining.
I belong to three book clubs, a giving circle, a
Mahjong group, and the Colorado Springs World
Affairs Council (csworldaffairs.org).
As for the fun activities I never had time for,
about a year after moving to Colorado I was
introduced to the Pikes Peak Over the Hill Gang
(www.ppothg.com), a fabulous group for
people over 50 who enjoy outdoor sports. I
joined for the skiing, since at the age of 71 it was
not so easy to find people who still wanted to
ski. This was a real turning point. Our chartered
bus takes us skiing once a week all winter – to
such fabulous places as Vail, Breckenridge and
Keystone. We are a bunch of crazy old skiers
having the time of our lives despite knee and/
or hip replacements, tired muscles, and all the
other complications of aging. I look forward to
our annual ski week in Beaver Creek in January!
This group is so much fun that I decided to join
them in hiking, snowshoeing and pickleball. I
even took up golf at the age of 75. I took lessons
and love trying to improve my game. Weather
permitting, we play golf every Monday at golf
courses all around Colorado.
What continues to surprise you?
After living abroad for 46 years, it has definitely
been a culture shock to live in America again. I
am still challenged by the complete change in
mealtimes (2 or 3 hours earlier than in Italy!),
slow and disciplined driving, pumping my
own gas, etc., but more than pleased by the
availability of parking everywhere. I am still
shocked by the amount of obesity and
homelessness, and by our current politics, and
I do a lot of reading to try and understand why
my country changed so drastically in the years
that I lived abroad. But I continue to be
pleasantly surprised by the overall courtesy and
kindness of complete strangers, the incredible
natural beauty of the country, and the many
cultural opportunities available.
10 INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 11