Carol and I were 'best buds' from 4th grade on. We attended Matteson School until we started high school at Rich East. As many know, Carol had juvenile diabetes which was discovered when she was around 7 years old. In her younger days, the disease did not keep her from doing too many things the typical teenager did. After graduation, Carol earned her RN at Cook County Hospital (Carol and I read EVERY "Cherry Ames" book we could get our hands on when we were young!). It was there she met her future husband, Wes Vermies, who was studying pharmacy. They married a few years later and eventually had one son, Mark. Carol worked many years, but her diabetes began to rear its ugly head. Somewhere in our early 40's (I think), Carol had a kidney transplant from her brother, Neil. Although I no longer lived in the Chicago area, I would frequently visit with her on business trips as I passed through Chicago. She and Wes visited us in Florida several times also. Eventually, Carol lost her eyesight to diabetes and also was no longer able to walk. Her husband, Wes, was such a wonderful partner for her. He would NOT give in to her disease and continued to take her on trips, go to movies, etc. They had a wonderful marriage!! No matter how bad things got for Carol, you could call her and get cheered up! When SHE needed a blessing, she GAVE one!! It was amazing!! You NEVER heard 'poor me' from Carol! She was my hero!! I was at a customer meeting (Delta in Atlanta) when I got the very sad phone call from Wes saying Carol had died. It was May of 2000 -- we were only 55!! I miss her and her amazing sense of humor so very much!
Arlene, You wrote a great tribute, a loving portrait of a wonderful person. Yes, a real "hero" with the truest and most open of hearts.
Carol and I became friends (how easy that was). starting in 7th grade at Matteson. She was a fun person with a wicked sense of humor. I can still hear her laugh. She told some raucus stories of her nursing days. I was in her wedding and she was in mine, and we occasionally saw one another while I lived in or visited the area. We stayed in touch, off and on. She was more diligent at it than I was. That was the way Carol was. I saw Carol and Wes (who was, indeed, a loving and supporting partner) a couple times when they visited Florida. The final time was when she had lost her eyesight and was in a wheel chair. Her focuse was still always beyond herself, on the other person, and she was almost as full of life as she had ever been. Nothing could stop her laugh.
We lost touch and some time later I tried to locate her with little success. I am glad (and sad) to finally learn when she died. She had many physical hurdles to overcome and some sadnesses in her family, but she never acted as a tragic figure. She was amazing, a survivor in the sweetest sense. And what a friend!
Arlene Gerstel (Clay)
Carol and I were 'best buds' from 4th grade on. We attended Matteson School until we started high school at Rich East. As many know, Carol had juvenile diabetes which was discovered when she was around 7 years old. In her younger days, the disease did not keep her from doing too many things the typical teenager did. After graduation, Carol earned her RN at Cook County Hospital (Carol and I read EVERY "Cherry Ames" book we could get our hands on when we were young!). It was there she met her future husband, Wes Vermies, who was studying pharmacy. They married a few years later and eventually had one son, Mark. Carol worked many years, but her diabetes began to rear its ugly head. Somewhere in our early 40's (I think), Carol had a kidney transplant from her brother, Neil. Although I no longer lived in the Chicago area, I would frequently visit with her on business trips as I passed through Chicago. She and Wes visited us in Florida several times also. Eventually, Carol lost her eyesight to diabetes and also was no longer able to walk. Her husband, Wes, was such a wonderful partner for her. He would NOT give in to her disease and continued to take her on trips, go to movies, etc. They had a wonderful marriage!! No matter how bad things got for Carol, you could call her and get cheered up! When SHE needed a blessing, she GAVE one!! It was amazing!! You NEVER heard 'poor me' from Carol! She was my hero!! I was at a customer meeting (Delta in Atlanta) when I got the very sad phone call from Wes saying Carol had died. It was May of 2000 -- we were only 55!! I miss her and her amazing sense of humor so very much!
Carol Agrifoglio (Alexander)
Arlene: What a great tribute to a dear friend of yours.
Faith Cook (Clark)
Arlene, You wrote a great tribute, a loving portrait of a wonderful person. Yes, a real "hero" with the truest and most open of hearts.
Carol and I became friends (how easy that was). starting in 7th grade at Matteson. She was a fun person with a wicked sense of humor. I can still hear her laugh. She told some raucus stories of her nursing days. I was in her wedding and she was in mine, and we occasionally saw one another while I lived in or visited the area. We stayed in touch, off and on. She was more diligent at it than I was. That was the way Carol was. I saw Carol and Wes (who was, indeed, a loving and supporting partner) a couple times when they visited Florida. The final time was when she had lost her eyesight and was in a wheel chair. Her focuse was still always beyond herself, on the other person, and she was almost as full of life as she had ever been. Nothing could stop her laugh.
We lost touch and some time later I tried to locate her with little success. I am glad (and sad) to finally learn when she died. She had many physical hurdles to overcome and some sadnesses in her family, but she never acted as a tragic figure. She was amazing, a survivor in the sweetest sense. And what a friend!