Carla H. Rosenzweig

On December 1, 2025, Carla Heider Rosenzweig, age 93, died peacefully at her home in Brooklin, Maine with her daughter and son by her side. Carla was born in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1932, to the late Carl Albert Sautter Heider and the late Irene Augusta Deutermann Heider. She grew up on the family farm in Hyattsville, Maryland, along with her siblings, the late Elizabeth (Betty) Heider Walker and the late Albert Henry Heider. She treasured many happy memories of her childhood on the farm where she rode horses, played in the hay and enjoyed delicious meals at gatherings with friends and family. The farm greatly influenced the art she created later in life.

In 1952, Carla received an A.A. from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and completed her B.S. at the University of Maryland in 1955, where she met her husband, Edward Charles Rosenzweig, who was working on his PhD. Carla and Edward married on July 30, 1955, and made their home in Baltimore, Maryland, and then Alexandria, Virginia, where they raised their two children, Greta and Henry. In 1973, Carla completed her B.F.A. at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and maintained a lifelong connection with MICA. In 1986, she was a Fellow at MacDowell in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Carla was one of the first artists to have a studio in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia. She later had studios on F Street, NW in D.C. across from the National Portrait Gallery. Carla's paintings, art installations and collaborations with other artists and musicians were shown primary in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Maryland, including Gallery 10, Ltd., Fells Point Art Gallery, Maryland Art Place, MICA and Centre Stage, and later in Blue Hill, Maine at the Leighton Gallery. She was a frequent participant in the annual "Paint the Peninsula" fundraiser in support of the Blue Hill Public Library.

Maine was a beloved vacation spot and after Edward's retirement, Carla and Edward moved to Blue Hill and later Brooklin. They were long time parishioners of St. Francis By the Sea Episcopal Church in Blue Hill, where they taught Sunday school for many years. A unique volunteer opportunity, shared at a Sunday service, sparked Carla's interest and in 2002, she created the first volunteer art program at the Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth, Maine. She often said that the weekly art classes at the jail and her interactions with her students were the most meaningful work she had ever done. While in Maine, Carla and Edward maintained homes in Baltimore and Naples, Florida for many years, where they had many friends and family. Despite living with vascular dementia for the last several years, Carla still greatly enjoyed visits from family and friends, looking at the meadow, sky, water, and mountains from her living room chair, watching PBS, playing scrabble, and winning at double solitaire. She was able to be in her home until the end because of the exceptional care of her live-in caregivers, Beverley Duncan and Eulalee Duncan Dennis, and the team of support (Carla's Angels) led by Kathryn Robinson.

Carla is predeceased by her husband, Edward, and survived by her daughter Greta C.H. Rosenzweig (Sandra Stein) of Hyattsville, Maryland and their two children, Gillian and Jacob Rosenzweig-Stein; son Henry A.H. Rosenzweig (Minami Rosenzweig) of Ridgewood, New Jersey and their two children, Milla and Alan; nephew John Myers; nieces Elizabeth Myers, Caroline Myers, Holly Heider Chapple, Catherine Blaha, Kristin DiCaro, Lisa Eifler, Heather Heider and their families. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carla's memory to the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, Brooklin Volunteer Fire Department, Brooklin, Me, or the Tree of Life Food Pantry, Blue Hill, Me.

Friends and family will gather in the summer to celebrate Carla's life, and she and Edward will be buried together at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C..