Remembering the Legacy of Carol Ann Valles

Carol Ann Valles
December 28, 1935 – December 25, 2025

Carol Ann Valles passed away peacefully at her home in Bedford, New York, on December 25, 2025, surrounded by her family. Born on December 28, 1935, in Morristown, New Jersey, Carol lived a life defined by creativity, generosity, curiosity, and an extraordinary commitment to education, community, and the arts.

Carol earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University, where she developed a lifelong devotion to the visual arts. An accomplished artist, she worked in painting and drawing early in life and later expressed her creativity through needlepoint, completing more than sixty pieces for family and friends. Her love of art extended to philanthropy; she remained a devoted supporter of Michigan State University and helped endow a professorship in the university’s art department.

Her artistic sensibility found a profound and lasting home in the world of synchronized swimming, now known as artistic swimming. In 1977, Carol founded the New Canaan Aquianas, originally based in Bedford, New York. What began as a small program quickly grew under her leadership, vision, and care. In 1980, she guided the team’s move to the New Canaan YMCA, where the Aquianas flourished and ultimately became one of the most respected and enduring artistic swimming clubs in the country.

Carol served for many years as the Aquianas’ coach, manager, mentor, and creative force. She shaped generations of swimmers—not only through rigorous training and competitive excellence, but through a culture rooted in discipline, artistry, teamwork, and longevity in the sport. Her artistic eye influenced every detail, from choreography to the design of swimsuits and headpieces, blending athletic precision with beauty and expression. Many of the athletes she nurtured went on to compete at regional and national levels, carrying forward the standards she set.

Her contributions extended well beyond one team. In 1978, Carol was invited to work on the U.S. National Championships, marking the beginning of her involvement at the national level of the sport. Later, she founded E-Synchro, an educational initiative dedicated to teaching synchronized and artistic swimming and providing instructional materials to support athletes, coaches, and programs across the country. In recognition of her unselfish service and lifelong dedication to the sport, Carol was honored with the Lillian MacKellar Distinguished Service Award in 2007.

For more than four decades, Carol was also a devoted supporter and major benefactor of the USA Artistic Swimming Foundation, believing deeply in the importance of sustaining and growing the sport for future generations. In recognition of her extraordinary generosity and lifelong service, the Foundation established the Carol Valles Legacy Society in her honor in 2021—a tribute to her enduring impact on artistic swimming nationwide.

Beyond the pool, Carol was deeply committed to education and service. She was actively involved in the Girl Scouts for many years and volunteered her time teaching French to high school students. A lifelong traveler, she visited more than 80 countries and spent extended periods living in France. She married her beloved husband, Dr. Jean-Paul Valles, in Paris, and together they shared a life rich in adventure, learning, and cultural exploration.

Carol is survived by her husband, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, all of whom were the great joy of her life.

Carol Ann Valles will be remembered as a founder, mentor, artist, and benefactor—a woman whose vision and generosity shaped not only a sport, but countless lives. Her legacy lives on in the swimmers she inspired, the programs she built, and the community she so lovingly created.