Dr. Carol A. WU Ph.D.

WU, Dr. Carol A. PhD

Dr. Carol A. Wu, Ph.D, 52, of Avon, died Monday (June 13, 2011) in the palliative care unit of Hartford Hospital. Born July 28, 1958, in Cleveland, OH, it was Marion, OH that became home when Carol was 3. Her adored mother, friend and confidante, Helena I. (McIntyre) Wu ("MaWu"), still resides in the same home where Carol was raised. If Carol was on the phone, most likely she was chatting with her mother. MaWu grew up in NY and worked as a RN. Carol's father (died, 1996), Dr. Kuo Hsing Wu ("PaWu"), was a pathologist at Marion General Hospital. PaWu was born in China near Changhai and came to NY via Taiwan in his twenties. Carol was his, "pearl," and to her mother, "little bo-peep-o." She worshipped her only sibling and older brother, Steven K. Wu, whom his parents held responsible for Carol's protection at an early age. It was Carol who clocked and logged the High School cross-country team stats at which Steve excelled.Believing one should always be prepared, PaWu enrolled Carol and Steve in endless summer courses. Carol's favorite story she delighted in telling, was the necessity to learn Morris Code. Others included ballet, speed reading, typing, violin and piano, which she still played while visiting home. A finicky eater, Tippy, the family dog, was Carol's faithful companion, but only at the dinner table. Carol graduated magna cum laude with a BA in biology at Wittenberg University, 1980. She was a sorority member of Alpha Delta Pi. At Wittenberg, Carol made life-time friends with six very special, talented women who dubbed themselves, "The Scum," and they have gathered as a group every several years to gossip, dream, complain (spouses) and recount pranks, parties, loves and fun shared in their youth: Lori Chacos, Chicago, IL; Deb (Dacek) Glass, New Market, MD; Janna (Spence) Christiansen, Raleigh, NC; Janet (Thomas) Coringrato, Fogelsville, PA; Kelly McKain, Charlotte, NC; and Lisa Pilati-Warner, Minneapolis, MN. Carol's romance with her husband began with a short note wrapped in saran wrap and left under the windshield wiper of her car. They shared adjacent assigned parking spaces at a large apartment complex. Carol had no idea who he was, and he had no idea which unit she resided, but he noticed her exiting her car several times. Carol consulted with the "Scum." Together, they analyzed and agonized over the vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and the neatness of his hand-writing. Weeks later, the "Scum" approved and pushed Carol to respond. Starting with their first date on Valentine's Day (1999), it blossomed into love. Carol received her Ph.D in molecular biology at Vanderbilt University (1986) and continued her training at the National Institutes of Health and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She came to the UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT (1992), as a faculty member of the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Later, she joined the Department of Immunology and became an accomplished investigator. Her career spanned over 30 years where she worked to advance our understanding of herpesvirus infections, including cytomegalovirus. Cytomegalovirus infection can cause problems in people with weakened immune systems such as the recipients of organ transplants, patients with cancer or HIV, or infants immediately before or after birth. Carol served on the Medical School Admissions Committee for 11 years, interviewing candidates and making final selections. She recently became the Associate Director of the Immunology Graduate Program in the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program. Carol loved her work and doing research in her laboratory. Her scholarly works on allergic asthma and/or cytomegalovirus infection were funded by the American Lung Association of CT and the National Institutes of Health and were published in a number of scientific journals including the Journal of Virology, Journal of Immunology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vaccine and the American Journal of Pathology. Carol's colleagues enjoyed her keen sense of humor, upbeat personality and perpetual smile. Carol was warm-hearted and people took a natural liking to her. She was renowned for her unquenchable consumption of diet coke. At her passing, it was rumored Wall Street Analysts changed their outlook on Coca-Cola stock from buy to sell and hedge fund managers shorted the stock. She would do anything for close friends and colleagues and her favorite refrain to a thank you was telling them it was the least she could do, and the least is all she would do for them. Carol's passions were her flower gardens (MaWu's gift), the "Scum," shoes, clothing fashions and reading. One could never have enough shoes. Buying shoes relieved stressful days or bad news, was a reason to celebrate good news or change ordinary days into exciting ones. She volunteered for years on race day for The CT Breast Health Initiative in New Britain, CT. She volunteered two years for Hartford Habitat for Humanity interviewing prospective families in their homes. She donated generously to Working Families, Operation Fuel, CT Breast Health Initiative, Easter Seals, Foodshare, Interval House, American Lung Association, Susan Komen for the Cure, The Salvation Army and clothing to various thrift shops, except for her shoes. Carol is survived by her devoted husband of 8 years (united 12 years in total), Paul A. Cohen; Paul's son, Michael J. Cohen, Burlington, CT; her mother, MaWu, Marion, OH; her brother, Steven K. Wu and wife Ophelia, Carrollton, TX; Steve and Ophelia's four children: Joshua, Caleb, Monica and Natalie; Her in-laws: parents, Bernard and Ruth Cohen, Bloomfield, CT; brother, David J. Cohen, Windsor, CT; his long-time companion, Mary Volker, Old Saybrook, CT; David's two children: Philip and Audra; sister, Lisa Phenix and husband Mark, Simsbury, CT; and her many esteemed colleagues and close friends, especially Jean Morningstar, W.Hartford, CT. Carol was predeceased by her father PaWu (1996). Carol was blessed to have her friend, Dr. Alison Lane-Reticker, MD, Palliative Medicine, Hartford Hospital provide loving and tender care to Carol and comfort, strength, love and guidance to the family.
For Dr. Alison Lane-Reticker:
"This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life." - Author Unknown
Memorial Services and funeral are private. There will be no calling hours. Donations may be made to your favorite charity.