Carol Krems

1952 - 2024

Carol Krems
Krems, Carol Weiler, age 72, of Newton, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on October 18, 2024. Born in New Haven, CT, on September 13, 1952, she was the daughter of the late Ada Mae Weiler and Charles Weiler, Jr. Carol was a graduate of The Gateway School and The George Washington University. At GW, in 1972, she met her other half, Kenneth Krems, to whom she was married for 48 years. She had a distinguished, 50-year career as a higher education administrator at The George Washington University, Yale University, Radcliffe Institute, Emmanuel College, Lesley University, and Suffolk University, from which she retired in 2023.
A resident of Newton for most of her life, she was a skilled writer, swift thinker, and independent woman, with a solution for every problem. Carol was very funny and engaging and had a way of making those around her smile under any circumstances. She was a great storyteller. Carol was a friend and mentor to many and had an incredible memory. She wrote countless speeches and publications; ran university commencements, inaugurations, and other major events; hosted Christmas dinners and political fundraisers; and inspired all she met to do their best. She believed in the importance of being politically active and, among other things, co-chaired State Rep. Kay Khan's campaigns and was a volunteer manager for Governor Deval Patrick's reelection campaign. She loved to travel across the world from Maine to Mallorca, swim in bodies of water from Walden Pond to the Mediterranean, go out to restaurants around Boston and beyond, sing and dance, watch movies, and spend time with her family-especially her grandchildren. Feisty to the end, even through illness, she fought tirelessly for precious additional time to enjoy life. She was one of a kind.
Carol, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, is survived by her husband, Kenneth Krems of Newton; her daughters and sons-in-law, Katherine Krems and Sebastian Jakubowski and Jennifer Krems and Sarat Kollimarla; her three grandchildren, Ziggy, Adela, and Kaya Jakubowski, and extensive extended family, whom she loved dearly. She will be greatly missed.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 2, at The Paulist Center, 5 Park Street, Boston. Afterwards, friends may visit with her family at The Allen Center, 35 Webster Street, West Newton, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the newly-formed Carol Weiler Krems Scholarship Fund at Suffolk University at: www.Suffolk.edu/giving/krems or by mailing a check to Suffolk University at Suffolk University Division of Advancement, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108-2770, and indicating that it is for the Carol Weiler Krems Scholarship Fund.