Carol S. (Rathman) Stabinsky, 89, died peacefully on January 10, 2023, with friends and family by her side at Birch Bay Village in Bar Harbor. She was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, the eldest daughter of Jacob and Flora (Schorn) Rathman.
Carol graduated from Central Catholic High School in Reading, PA. She earned degrees in both nursing and anesthesia from Saint Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Reading, and worked for many years as a nurse anesthetist at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center. There she worked alongside Frank, her husband of 41 years, also a nurse anesthetist, until their retirement in 1995. She received a B.A. in 1979 in hospital administration from Ottawa University.
Carol was a kind and generous soul, deeply loved by her many friends and family. After Frank’s death in 1996, Carol was a tireless volunteer. In Reading she was particularly active with the Alvernia Senior College. She went on volunteering adventures with her son, David, including volunteering for several weeks at a mission hospital in Uganda and with Habitat for Humanity in Louisiana. When she moved to Bar Harbor in 2008, she immediately sought out opportunities to volunteer in her new community, including with the Bar Harbor Food Pantry and the Jesup Memorial Library.
Carol was a devout Catholic. In 2005, she joined the Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites. In Bar Harbor, she was an active member of the Holy Redeemer community, volunteering for countless church activities, including making and selling pies for the summer pie sales. She was also a Eucharistic Minister at the church, taking Holy Communion regularly to housebound Catholics around Bar Harbor.
She will be missed dearly by all, and especially by her Rummikub buddies and fellow Hershey Bears fans.
Carol was preceded in death by her husband, Frank, her son, David, and her four brothers, John, Robert, Thomas, and Gerald. Carol is survived by her daughter, Doreen Stabinsky, and son-in-law, David Feldman of Mount Desert; her sisters Mary Schmeck of Reading, PA, and Gail Wentzel of Hanover, MD; her granddaughter, Lena Kai Nash, of Louisville, KY; three great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held Saturday, January 21st from 9:00 - 10:00 AM in Holy Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Church, Muhlenberg Township. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Saturday at 10:00 AM in the Church. She will be interred next to her husband and son in Berks County Memorial Gardens, Maidencreek Township, PA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carol’s name to Island Connections (www.islconnections.org) and the Jesup Memorial Library (jesuplibrary.org).
Stitzel Family Funeral Homes & Crematory, Inc., Laureldale, is in charge of arrangements.
For online condolences, visit www.StitzelFamilyFuneralHomes.com
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