Where to begin? Carol was my older sister, therefore always part of my life. We shared so many things and yet were so very different.

            As a young person, I remember her teen-age years. Listening to her ’50’s music on the record player, getting dance lessons from her in the living room- the mambo, the cha-cha, the lindy. She was the quintessential teen-ager. She loved parties and dating. I can remember her dates sitting waiting in the living room - plied with snacks by our mom- until that moment when the bedroom door would open and she’d emerge in her special dress, like a princess, for all eyes to admire.

            On my many travels away from New York, she visited as often as she could and was supportive of my relationship with David and interested in our adventures, often wanting to be part of them. She loved travel and adventure and at one point encouraged me to move out of New Orleans so she’d have a new place to visit.

            We had our ups and downs, but we shared the ability to laugh together. Even now, there are things that happen that I want to tell her, because only she could appreciate the humor there. Our mother died just three years before Carol and with Carol’s passing all the stories and laughs we shared about our mom are gone too. She had even sent me a birthday card from our mother, supposedly from heaven, filled with all Carol humor.

            Carol liked change and was always looking for a new job, a new apartment, a new boyfriend. To her girlfriends, she was long-term loyal. She sought experiences and fought for what she wanted, whether it be a job or influence in her union at work. She always wanted to get ahead and wanted the same for her friends and co-workers, especially if she thought they were undervalued or underpaid. She was a force to reckon with for many of her bosses - and often for her family as well.

            And what she wanted, she went after right away. There was no waiting. In death she seemed to have chosen the same path. It’s still hard for me to comprehend that someone can die that fast.

            I once asked her if she believed in re-incarnation and she said yes. So maybe her soul is circling out there, somewhere, contemplating already her next life. Hopefully, she’s not fighting with mom…..or arguing with God that the angels are overworked.

            So for your next life, Carol, take your time, choose wisely and say “hi” to mom.

 Love, Maxine

This photo was a standout from a cache of old pictures. A lovely black and white portrait of Carol, taken by sister Maxine for a college photography class, circa 1963-64.

Here’s a nice shot from a trip to New Orleans in 2002, featuring Carol and her niece Ingrid.