Carol Cohen Deutsch

On Wednesday, December 21, 2022, Carol Sue (Cohen) Deutsch unexpectedly passed away from a sudden illness. She was born on October 14, 1947, in Atlanta, Georgia, the middle daughter of Helen and Gerald Cohen. Carol and her husband Bob Deutsch were married for 53 years. They met in their first year at the University of Michigan in 1965, got married on June 1, 1969, and lived their entire adult lives together. With Bob by her side, Carol built a family, a career, and a legacy of community involvement. Their path led them from Ann Arbor to Boston, to Western North Carolina, and finally to Asheville which became their home for 40 years. Carol spent her childhood in Atlanta, active in school and Jewish youth groups. After graduating as valedictorian from Northside High School, Carol attended the University of Michigan where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1970, she was awarded her Master of Education from Boston University, after which she taught eighth-grade English in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, creatively using the lyrics of the rock opera Tommy and Bob Dylan songs as source material. She moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina, and became director of research for Mother Earth News, responding to inquiries about sustainable living. She then built a distinguished career as an educator at Blue Ridge Technical Institute, and after moving to Asheville in 1985, Asheville Buncombe Technical Institute. At both community colleges, Carol was known for her innovative courses. She was the first educator in the area to create a course in Women’s Studies, as reported in a large front-page article in the Hendersonville Times News. She designed and implemented the “Wider Opportunities for Women” curriculum at AB Tech, arranging for her class to participate in blasting the rock to create Asheville’s Beaucatcher Gap for Interstate 240. Carol also led a joint effort by Blue Ridge Tech and AB Tech to offer educational courses for worker promotion, traveling to various industrial sites, including Dupont and Dayco, to teach workers skills in effective written and oral communication. Years after the courses concluded, Carol and Bob would meet former students for whom she was a cherished teacher and mentor. Carol’s career as an educator culminated in her trademarked professional identity as “The Customer Service Detective”. She taught many local companies, government entities, and nonprofit organizations the newly-appreciated principles of providing good customer service. She no doubt elevated the customer service experience at local banks, hospitals, the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, Johnson & Johnson, and Biltmore Estate among others. Participants in her seminars often called her to relate how they had applied her lessons in real life. Carol loved being a part of the Asheville community. She became a respected leader in business and nonprofit organizations, including the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of WNC, the Children’s Welfare League, and Women Mean Business. For over 40 years, Carol was a beloved leader in the Asheville Jewish community, as a Sunday School principal, synagogue and JCC board member, and philanthropist. She was especially proud of creating the Woven Youth Group to replicate her high school regional leadership in BBYO for Asheville teenagers. She was known for her strong organizational skills, reliability and persistence, and great personal charm all of which continue to resonate in the Asheville Jewish community. Of all her accomplishments, Carol was most proud of her family. Watching her daughter Robin and son Andy grow into accomplished adults with strong families of their own gave her the most pleasure. She loved being a mother-in-law to Robin’s husband Dave Edwards and Andy’s wife Lauren Estrin. Her enjoyment rose to a new level as her five grandchildren, Natalie, Molly, Benjamin, Reid, and Jacob (in birth order) joined the family. “Grandma Carol” is and will be a fixture in their lives. Carol came from a large, tight-knit extended family. She was very close with her family: sister Judy and brother Mark, and their spouses Marty and Tova as well as brothers-in-law, Dennis and Morris and their spouses Linda and Nancy. Carol also loved her nieces and nephews Michael, Laurie, Ross, Sara, Barak, Niffy, Neal, Yael, Emily, Adam & Samantha, and her great nieces and nephews Eve, Leah May, Marion, Gerald, Morris, Freida, Maayan, Yahav, Emmanuelle, Asher, and Gali. She had many aunts and uncles, and a plethora of cousins with whom she has remained close throughout the years. Carol will be sorely missed by her family, and by her many friends and colleagues. May her memory be a blessing. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to: Asheville JCC – Hilde’s House Fund

Tributes

Carol Cohen Deutsch

October 14, 1957 - December 21, 2022