Obituary of Carolyn P. Webber

Carolyn Lois Perkins Webber (known to her family as Nook and Lyn), 94, died peacefully on April 4, 2019 in Troy, New York.  

Carolyn was the daughter of Andrew Herschel and Caroline Bender Perkins.  She was born in Berlin, NY, the youngest of eight siblings.  Her mother died when Carolyn was just four years old. She spent most of her formative years living with relatives until settling in with her sister Marion and brother-in-law Loyal Goodermote.

After graduating high school at age 15, Carolyn moved to Pittsfield, MA to attend Berkshire Business College.  Once she’d completed her studies there she worked at Pittsfield General Hospital.  It was in Pittsfield that she met her future husband, Donald Webber whom she married in 1945.  Friends and family members donated gas ration coupons so the newlyweds could go on a honeymoon!

Carolyn and Don first lived in Pittsfield and then moved to Richmond, MA where they spent the majority of their married lives. They were parents to two children, David and Jeffrey Webber.  Once the boys were well established in school, Carolyn reentered the work force as a secretary in Terry Halleck’s architectural firm in Pittsfield. She always spoke, with great pride, about working on the specs for the round barn at Hancock Shaker Village. It was certainly more challenging then to perform those required tasks than it would be today in the age of computers!

She undertook a variety of other part time jobs including laundering shirts for members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra when they were in residence at Tanglewood.  She typed manuscripts for various professionals.  Family members also took advantage of Carolyn’s expert typing skills by relying on her to type college term papers and other necessary documents.

Carolyn had interests in addition to work, helping others, and caring for her family.  She was a voracious reader of many genres.  Her favorite authors included Danielle Steele and Maeve Binchy.  According to Carolyn the Red Sox were in a league of their own!  Over the course of her life she made several trips to Boston to see them in action including Ted Williams.  She also adored her and Don’s cats and dogs and found other people’s pets similarly appealing.

Later in life she and her husband moved to West Springfield, MA to be nearer to her son and his family.  It was after Don’s death that she moved in with her granddaughter Jessica and granddaughter-in-law Anna, her primary care-givers, in up-state New York.  

Throughout her life Carolyn was surrounded by loving friends and family.  She is survived by two sons, David D. Webber, Pittsfield, and Jeffrey A. Webber and his wife Joanne Tattersall, West Springfield, and by five grandchildren, Daniel Webber, Jessica Webber, James Webber (Steven Huerta), Lily Webber, Carolyn Webber, and former granddaughter-in-law, Anna Osborn.  Many nieces, nephews, and friends also survive.  In addition to her parents and husband, Carolyn was predeceased by her five brothers Orr, Andrew, Richard, Warren, and Robert Perkins, and two sisters, Florence Husted and Marion Goodermote, and former daughter-in-law, Jayne DiNicola Webber.

Carolyn was so appreciative of the staff at The Eddy while she lived there that, in lieu of flowers, her family suggests donations be made to the Elizabeth Malone Fund, Eddy Geriatric Center, 2256 Burdett Ave., Troy, NY 12180.  (The fund was established to assist staff members who experience severe illness, unusual hardship, and/or other extenuating circumstance.)      

 A service celebrating Carolyn’s life will be held at the Berkshire Community Church, 45 Cemetery Rd., Richmond, MA, on April 13, 2019 at noon. Informal visitation with Carolyn’s family will take place immediately following the service.