Anne's Eulogy
Anne, Mom's youngest sister gave the following eulogy at the memorial:
Carol was my best friend. Nothing I can think of to say can capture how much I will miss her. We shared every little turn in our lives. I just wish she were here now to share this one. She loved a party with her people, especially with great music. What I loved best about her was how easy she was to talk to. She was such an active listener, always asking the best questions to get you to open up. But she knew when not to press.
She knew how to inspire you come up with your own solutions. She was a genius with people, always finding and encouraging the best in them. She was VERY interested in other people, of any and all kinds and especially loved watching children. If she was curious, she would ask….or look it up on the internet.
I loved her laugh. You could hear it across a park or a theater. It would jolt you from a conversation but then make you smile because you knew it was Carol.
A year ago, Carol, Lowell, John and I decided to take a vacation to Italy together. She started the investigating and studying right away and even got John and me to study Italian the whole year before: Always encouraging people to learn. We went this September, and it was the most fascinating vacation we had ever had. She was always so enthusiastic about the next adventure of the day. In our meanderings through the streets of the various cities and towns, she kept pulling us off the beaten path to see something she found beautiful. “ooh look!”, she’d say and we would dart off to study this object of her interest. We would joke that she kept getting distracted from our destination. We’d pretend to quote her with, “oh look! There’s a pony!”….Finally, she said, “This whole trip is a pony!”
She was the most disciplined person I ever met. When she decided to learn something or do something she would attack it with determination. Every single day, she painted, played piano, did her 15 minutes of language, played bridge, swing danced with Lowell, learned a whole new way to play jazz with the newest member of the family, Nick. And when she read, it was books like Proust, in French!. When she had a health challenge, she studied the best remedy and did whatever had to be done to fight it.
She was an incredible wife and mother, inspiring her wonderful kids to be self-sufficient, creative and loving. She LOVED Lowell and Betina and Shawn, intensely interested in all of their activities and challenges.
I was in total awe of how she participated in and inspired so much collaborative music in her family and the extended family.
Her art stuns me. At first glance, it seems so simple and child-like and then as you look more closely, it strikes you what a genius she was. Our mom, who likes things very traditional, would say, “Why don’t you paint something we recognize?” but more recently, even she was awed by Carol’s art.
All of us will miss her. She influenced us all in ways that we will never forget. Her curiosity, her love of people and art, her painting, her music, her joy were an inspiration. Those of us who knew and loved and experienced Carol are hoping that between us, we can try to keep some of her joy alive.
She was so tiny, but bigger than life.
I love you Carol
Carol was my best friend. Nothing I can think of to say can capture how much I will miss her. We shared every little turn in our lives. I just wish she were here now to share this one. She loved a party with her people, especially with great music. What I loved best about her was how easy she was to talk to. She was such an active listener, always asking the best questions to get you to open up. But she knew when not to press.
She knew how to inspire you come up with your own solutions. She was a genius with people, always finding and encouraging the best in them. She was VERY interested in other people, of any and all kinds and especially loved watching children. If she was curious, she would ask….or look it up on the internet.
I loved her laugh. You could hear it across a park or a theater. It would jolt you from a conversation but then make you smile because you knew it was Carol.
A year ago, Carol, Lowell, John and I decided to take a vacation to Italy together. She started the investigating and studying right away and even got John and me to study Italian the whole year before: Always encouraging people to learn. We went this September, and it was the most fascinating vacation we had ever had. She was always so enthusiastic about the next adventure of the day. In our meanderings through the streets of the various cities and towns, she kept pulling us off the beaten path to see something she found beautiful. “ooh look!”, she’d say and we would dart off to study this object of her interest. We would joke that she kept getting distracted from our destination. We’d pretend to quote her with, “oh look! There’s a pony!”….Finally, she said, “This whole trip is a pony!”
She was the most disciplined person I ever met. When she decided to learn something or do something she would attack it with determination. Every single day, she painted, played piano, did her 15 minutes of language, played bridge, swing danced with Lowell, learned a whole new way to play jazz with the newest member of the family, Nick. And when she read, it was books like Proust, in French!. When she had a health challenge, she studied the best remedy and did whatever had to be done to fight it.
She was an incredible wife and mother, inspiring her wonderful kids to be self-sufficient, creative and loving. She LOVED Lowell and Betina and Shawn, intensely interested in all of their activities and challenges.
I was in total awe of how she participated in and inspired so much collaborative music in her family and the extended family.
Her art stuns me. At first glance, it seems so simple and child-like and then as you look more closely, it strikes you what a genius she was. Our mom, who likes things very traditional, would say, “Why don’t you paint something we recognize?” but more recently, even she was awed by Carol’s art.
All of us will miss her. She influenced us all in ways that we will never forget. Her curiosity, her love of people and art, her painting, her music, her joy were an inspiration. Those of us who knew and loved and experienced Carol are hoping that between us, we can try to keep some of her joy alive.
She was so tiny, but bigger than life.
I love you Carol
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