Carole Eckart
Salem — Carole A. Eckart of Salem passed Feb. 5,
2021, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. She was born Aug. 3, 1947, in Pittsfield, Mass. She was the daughter of William and Anne (Garavagno) Eckart, the oldest of their five children.
The family resided in West Springfield, Mass., where she attended local schools. Carole was the salutatorian of her West Springfield High School graduating class. After high school, she attended Tufts University, earning a degree in economics. After college, she was employed by Connecticut General (CIGNA) in Bloomfield, traveling the country as part of the medical claims department. She helped establish dental insurance for CIGNA, working with some of the largest corporations in the country. After working at CIGNA for 20 years, she joined American Management Systems in Glastonbury. There, Carole reinvented herself and became a computer-aided training senior consultant to large corporations and state governments. She ended her career working as consultant to ePath Learning of
New London, helping clients define their training goals and requirements.
In 1972, Carole was introduced to her love, and lifelong partner and soulmate, Carl Nawrocki, at the Mystic
Arts Festival. He took her to Tanglewood on their first date and they remained together for over 48 years until her death. They were married in July 1976 in North Brookfield, Mass., at St. Joseph Church and shortly thereafter, moved in together at their home on Music Vale Road in Salem, where they lived their entire married life. Both Carole and Carl loved living in Salem with its country charm and spirit of volunteerism. Carole was generous with her time giving back to the community. She served on the Board of Finance and the library board. She was a Girl Scout leader and participated on many ad-hoc committees at Salem School. She was the facilitator for the Town Vision Committee. Carole served on the Unsung Hero Committee and was given the award in 2011. She served on the executive committee of the Friends of Salem Library for decades and was a main force at the used book sale. Carole had a habit of raising her hand when asked who can help. We know that Carole is happy knowing that her grandson will grow up in Salem and benefit from all the things she accomplished, making Salem a wonderful place to live.
Carole loved to travel. As a young 24-year-old, she traveled to Uganda, and flew between game parks in small single engine aircraft. After her marriage, Carole and Carl had a wonderful life together working, childrearing, attending live performances and travel. They toured North and South America and Western Europe. They took many memorable trips — to Machu Picchu, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Brazil and Argentina. Nearly every winter, they spent time in Cancun, often taking family and friends with them. They were frequent patrons of the arts, especially live performances at UConn. She was a great fan of UConn women’s basketball, attending many games. In the summer, they often returned to Tanglewood, the site of their first date, for concerts. Carole loved her family and adopted her husband’s family. She hosted large family holiday gatherings and held an annual Christmas party for her friends and neighbors. Carole was a person who loved life and showed an extraordinary amount of care, passion and effort on behalf of her entire extended family. Be it small get-togethers, reunions, Wigilias, weddings or other family events, she was always there making the occasion better with her positive personality and many contributions. She gave much love and was loved. Carole was a communicant of Our Lady of the Lakes Church in Oakdale, where her funeral Mass will be held.
Carole is survived by her husband, Carl Nawrocki; and daughter Anne Coss and husband Ted; and beloved grandson, Edward, of Salem. Also, she is survived by her siblings, William Eckart and wife Debra of Machias, Maine, Patricia Eckart-McGovern of Leominster, Mass., John Eckart and wife Karen of North Caldwell, N.J., and David Eckart and wife Catherine of Walpole, Mass.; as well as many nieces and nephews and their children. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Our Lady of Lakes Church, Route 82, Oakdale. As COVID-19 attendance restrictions will limit attendance, only family members will be allowed to attend. For those who will be unable to attend, the Mass will be livestreamed. Information on how to view the service will be available on the funeral home’s website. Visitation hours will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Road, Colchester. For information, call the funeral home at (860) 537-9611 or visit its website at www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com.
Carole and Carl spent over 30 years adopting dogs and supporting the Salem Free Public Library. Memorial donations can be sent to the Friends of Salem Library, c/o Salem Library, 264 Hartford Road, Salem, CT 06420, or the CT Humane Society, 169 Old Colchester Road, Quaker Hill, CT 06375.