Carol Schwarz

Yesterday, twelve of us in the local canoe club gathered to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner together. As I listened to the animated chatter, I found myself thinking of friends I had lost. Carol was one of those friends. I know she had her down moments but every time I saw her, she was brimming with life and excitement. She had given up paddling long before her death but I still miss her when a group of us get together for a party or a paddling event. She had an impact on all of us.

I have thought of Carol often during the past year. She was such a vibrant person, so full of good humor and bubbling with life that it's hard to imagine that all that could vanish in an instance.

I did not know her extremely well but she was always nice and friendly to me. 63 is too young to die. I know she is missed.

Arthur Carlson introduced Carol and me. I loved her for her vibrancy and cannot imagine her anyway but full of life. I am playing the songs she loved and thinking about the good old days: “So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more” (Alfred Tennyson).

I always think of Carol when I hear "This Must Be the Place" by Talking Heads. I hope where she is now looks a lot like the Miccosukee Land Co-op.

Carol was so much fun. She had an infectious laugh that still echoes through my memory. She will be missed.

Carol, always a friendly, sweet soul, glad to have crossed paths with her at DOR. My sympathy to her family.

My heart is broken knowing Carol is gone. She was a great friend. Carol was a volunteer waterfront steward on the Apalachicola River for The Nature Conservancy when I worked there years ago. She and Clarissa Mickle hit it off and became like Laverne and Shirley on the water with their funny adventures. We've been friends since. Carol had a spirituality I could never fathom. She was fun loving, thoughtful, caring. She brought so much to the table, putting her values into action with the causes...

Remembering her joyfulness, her dedication, her smile. And reading her obit, she was much more diversified than I had imagined. She lived a full life, but died too soon.