Carol Feierabend

Carol Feierabend passed away on July 7, 2024. She passed peacefully at her apartment in White River Junction, VT, surrounded by her two children, Bruce and Amy Chiriatti, their spouses Rana Glasgal and George White, and her sister Joan Feierabend and Joan’s son Evan Dybvig.

Carol was born on April 21, 1940, in Poughkeepsie, New York to William (Bill) and Margaret (Peggy) Feierabend. Carol graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor’s degree in Botany and worked several years for Bell Labs in Ohio. Carol and her husband, Louis Chiriatti, moved with IBM to Richmond, Vermont, a few years after their marriage. There, she raised Bruce and Amy and after her divorce from Lou, remarried and was a much-loved stepmother to Robin and Jasmine Appleberry. Although their father and Carol later divorced, Carol remained a vibrant and important part of Robin and Jasmine’s lives.

In Vermont, Carol taught music to preschoolers and established FireRobin Puppets, where she designed and produced a wide array of creative, high-quality, and entertaining hand and finger puppets. Her store and workshop were located in the heart of Richmond for many years. After her children were grown, she sold her successful puppet business and her Vermont home and moved to Taiwan where she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for six years. After returning to the United States, she lived in Colorado and then Kansas with her sister Dale and Dale’s family (Dale’s husband Mike Schrader and her son Glen McIntyre). While there, she established, supported and taught ESL to non- or limited-English speaking students and professionals. She also participated in local writing groups.

In the fall of 2010, Carol moved once again with her sister Dale and her family to the historic town of Cambridge, MD. There she became an active member of the Dorchester Center for the Arts (DCA). Carol volunteered at the DCA, designing window displays, teaching memoir writing classes and offering workshops on paper art.

During her time in Maryland, Carol designed and produced pop-up greeting cards. These cards were fun, creative and lively, covering all holidays, seasons, and sentiments. Family members knew that when they got a colorful envelope from Carol in the mail, they were in for a treat!

Her special joy was joining the newly formed writing group, Choptank Writers. With this group she found an outlet for her writing, helped to expand the organization’s membership, and found opportunities to meet other writers. She was a member of the Eastern Shore Writers Association and attended their Bay to Ocean Writers conferences. Carol volunteered at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Horn Point Laboratory.

While living in Cambridge, Carol again moved from her home to teach ESL in the beautiful mountain city of Cuenca, Ecuador for two years. When she returned to Cambridge she established a local community ESL program.

Closer to home, Carol loved to garden and her surroundings were always graced with harmony and blooming beauty.

Carol is survived by her son Bruce Chiriatti and spouse Rana Glasgal; daughter Amy Chiriatti and spouse George White; sister Dale Schrader and spouse Mike Schrader; sister Joan Feierabend; nieces, nephews and extended family: Jim McIntyre and spouse Leila Rao; Michael McIntyre and partner Beth Kirkpatrick, Glen McIntyre, Evan Dybvig, Dana Dybvig, Robin Appleberry and spouse Ken Forsberg, Jasmine Appleberry and wife Amber Guillet, and step-nieces Teagan White and Iris White.

Memorial service plans are not available at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to National Public Radio, the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cambridge, MD, or your local writers' group.