As much as we at Edible Skinny LOVE LOVE LOVE to explore this AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME world, sometimes a life event happens that makes a wandering soul pause for a moment.
For last four months, I've been living in Florida helping my StepMom, Carol Jertson, make her final transition due to cancer and connecting with my Dad, Tony Thomas, in the aftermath of this event.
It's been a nuanced and delightful hibernation from the world of travel, but it's time to hit the road again! So look for the return of ES articles in the coming weeks! Huzzah!!!!
Below is the online eulogy I wrote for Carol to keep you inspired to roam. As you will read, Carol, a world traveler through and through, will be visiting many places posthumously as her adventures spirit still lives on!
So here's to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and hitting the road again!
Carolyn (No Middle Name) Jertson
Carolyn (No Middle Name) Jertson passed on Friday August 16, 2019. A patchouli-loving-free-spirit-at-heart human, this coincided with the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.
It was a total Carol move.
Carol passed in a room surrounded by friends and family all celebrating her greatness. The festivities included live ukulele music, tarot card readings, treasured photos, lavender and patchouli aromatherapy, and sparkly tiaras. Her last moments were holding her devoted husband Tony’s hand.
A fiery redhead with sparkly blue eyes, Carol was born on April 28, 1960. Although she was the baby of the family, she was the childhood protector of her 3 mentally disabled older brothers. Smart as a whip, during high school in Wayne, NJ, Carol would ditch class and hop a bus to Greenwich Village to be part of “The Scene.” She believed it was there, not in a classroom, she would truly learn life. These adventures included ballet classes, low level drug dealing, and accidentally attending The Stonewall Riots.
A lover of words, Carol graduated college from West Virginia University with a degree in Journalism. She was a Cub Reporter for The Times Beacon, an Editor at The Atlantic City Press, and Co-Founder of The Jersey Shore Currents, all in New Jersey. When she moved to Florida, Carol was the Neighbors Editor of the Miami Herald and a Digital Editor at BioNews. She was an avid reader of books, moving those around her to find inspiration in the written word.
A world traveler she visited Notre-Dame Cathedral in France, skied St. Anton in Austria, and hiked the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coastline, and Dolomite Mountains in Italy. Carol strolled the canals of Venice, was spellbound by the Vatican in Rome, and snorkeled the deserted islands of the Abacos in The Bahamas. She adored America’s National Park System having visited Yosemite, Death Valley, Zion, Bryce, Arches, and Canyonlands with her husband and daughter Katie.
In the next year, Carol posthumously plans to travel to Montreal in Quebec, Alaska by cruise, the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain, and Burning Man.
All Carol wanted was a world full of love. And luckily, she knew it when she saw it.
Carol would always ferret out the perfect item at a flea market or second hand shop, something that was special, something that others had put their heart and soul into. Homemade quilts, victorian tea sets, vintage dishes, and bedazzled tiaras were all treasures to her. She was a historian of things made and loved with tenderness.
Carol is survived by numerous Friends and Colleagues, 2 Adorable Cats Bello, the Lover Hitman, and Mazey, the Feline Princess, her 3 Big-Hearted Brothers, Roy, Danny, and Bobby, her 2 Daughters, Katie and Kelly, who both inspired by Carol are Professional Writers, and her Loving Pirate of a Husband Tony.
We’re all glad you finally got to go Uptown Sunshine!
