Carole Carrie Barbara Schlesinger

Born in Huntington, Long Island, on Nov. 15, 1960 to Mollie Schlesinger and Myron Schlesinger, Carole Carrie Barbara Schlesinger was a talented and dedicated teacher. Her ambition in life was to be of service to the Hispanic community. Her death on Jan. 2, 2024, caused by a vehicular accident, has sadden our hearts. As a child she was easy going, very smart. As a teenager she was ambitious and independent. She worked jobs while going to high school, City College and UCSB, and CSU Northridge. In 1984 at UCSB she received her B.S degree in the field of Chicano studies (culture and history) and Spanish, and her graduate courses were in special education, psychology and bilingual education. In 1990 she got her certified teaching degree at CSU Northridge. She was taking workshops and classes to be current on educational knowledge. Carole was an educator for over 30 years. Her main passion and joy in life was teaching. She was very creative with arts and crafts, and incorporated that in her teaching. She mostly dedicated her career years to teaching in the Ventura School District on various assignments, including migrant students (K-12 through home visitations). She taught migrant students in summer programs, and taught with high-risk immigrant population who had little or no prior school experience. She taught on assignments at the Community Action Commission on call from 1978 to 1996, teaching preschool bilingual day care and assignments with homeless children. Marilyn her supervisor wrote,”I don’t know what we would have done without your help. Thanks for all your efforts and support of the teachers at Coronel.” Many educators in the field have attested to Carole’s excellence as a teacher. Kitty Crowe: “Carole arrives on time, tireless worker, leave classroom ready for return. Favorite activity is Read Aloud. She enjoys seeking ways to meet student at their level in a fun way.” Joe Mendoza: “She has calming influence over her students. Manner is courteous and gets respect from parents. I have been teaching for 45 years; I find Carole to be one of the best. She is dedicated and a loyal professional” Carole was much loved by her friends, and when they were in dire circumstances they called upon her for guidance and calmness. Tyler Lord Hamilton, her dear friend, wrote her a birthday card saying, “My darling friend: Your friendship is a Birthday gift sent to me. Thank you. Love and Blessings, Tyler. As her mother I recommended that she go into counseling field and she said, “I love teaching the children. It gives me joy” Her life was not without difficult challenges. When she was a nurse’s aide at Beverly Manor and just 17 years old she felt injured. After undergoing medical tests, however, she inherited a neurological disorder affecting her balance. In recent years she was in pain with her body and mental health well being. As a mother, her pain was my pain I tried whatever resources I could get for her relief. Her relief was teaching in the classroom. I want to thank NAMI support group for such love, education, resources, and tools to sustain my quality of life. My dearest Kate Smith, who was our NAMI advocate in helping Carole, my neighbors, Jessica Barnard and Tanya Sorich in time of need, the Baha’i Faith Community for spiritual support and prayers, my Aqua Aerobics ladies who love me. In viewing her life, Carole was deeply loved by Edward, her brother, who stood by her, respected by her friends, colleagues, creativity to the students and appreciated by population of the underserved. Carole is pre-deceased by her father Myron Schlesinger; step father Don DeWald; and step brother Mark DeWald. She is survived by her mother Mollie DeWald, brother Edward Schlesinger, wife Sarah Wersan, sister-in-law Nazanin DeWald, aunt Rose Ann, uncle Gary Goldberg, and loved cousins and their families, cousins Lisa and Michael Miranda, Debra and Joe Luca, Alan and Wendy Adato, Isaac, Leianne and Greg Eskinazi, Bob and Susan Cohen, Elizabeth Stevens, Susan Silkowitz and Carole’s best friend Susan Khan. In lieu of flowers you may wish to donate to the charity of your choice or Mental Wellness Center, 617 Garden St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Graveyard services will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 at Goleta Cemetery.

Carole Carrie Barbara Schlesinger

November 15, 1960 - January 2, 2024