Carol Bloomgarden Schectman

Carol Bloomgarden Schectman, age 98, ofAventura, Florida, passed away on Wednesday, February 14, at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital. Carol was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 5, 1926 to David and Lillian (Florman) Lane.

Carol is survived by her daughters, Nancy Dee Bailer (Joseph) and Karenne Jo Bloomgarden, five grandchildren, and seven greatgrandchildren.

She is preceded in death by husbands, Kermit Bloomgarden and Aaron H. Schectman, and her brother Robert J. Lane.

A graveside service for Carol was held Tuesday, February 20, in Lakeside Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home, 10301 NW25th Street, Miami, FL 33172.

A Memorial (Celebration of Life) Service will be held Sunday, February 25, at 1 p.m. at Temple Sinai of North Dade, 18801 NE 22nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33180.

Arrangements were made by Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapels, 17250 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, FL 33160 (A Dignity Memorial Chapel).

Carol lived a long, happy, and full life, positively touching the lives of many people. To know her was to know her effusive spirit – concerts were “marvelous,” her great-grandchildren were “delicious,” visits from friends were “wonderful.” She will be remembered for her infectious joy, her sharp intellect, and her love. Carol graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and received a B.A. and M.A. from NYU. She met her first husband, Kermit Bloomgarden in Honesdale, Pennsylvania and, in 1955, they became one of the eleven founding families of Temple Emanu-El in Livingston.

The trick to her longevity, she sometimes joked, was surrounding herself with younger people her whole life. And her choice of occupation was a blessing in this regard. Carol was the kind of teacher you never forgot. When the comedian Chelsea Handler penned her autobiography, there was third grade teacher Mrs. Schectman, and when Handler spoke to United States Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. in 2016, she recalled Carol as the “one teacher who really made me believe in myself.” Carol remains in the warm memories of countless young people whose development she shaped as an elementary school teacher in New Jersey and camp head councilor at Camp Scatico in Elizaville, New York, for over three decades.

Even after retiring, Carol prided herself in keeping in touch with former pupils, parents, campers, counselors, and colleagues. But she was always adding to her circle of

friends, too. After moving to North Miami Beach, she and her husband Aaron Schectman joined Temple Sinai of North Dade. They participated in weekly Shabbat Torah Study and sang with the choir. Carol served for five years as a Trustee of Temple Sinai.

Aaron was the love of her life. Their apartment reflected their passion for music and the arts, with hammer dulcimers, hippo sculptures, mandolins, needle point creations, and portraits of adored family members. Avid travelers,Aaron and Carol never shied away from an adventure, whether that was a world cruise or driving across America (five times) in their RV.

Last summer, Carol moved to the Sterling Aventura and became an active member of the community. She loved welcoming new residents and helping them to settle into their new surroundings.

Her greatest pleasure in life was being a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She took full advantage of technology to stay in close touch with her family near and far.

She is survived by two daughters: Nancy (Joseph) Bailer and Karenne Bloomgarden; two stepsons: David Schectman and Hal (Denise) Schectman; five grandchildren: Joshua (Kirsten) Bailer, Jeremy Bailer, Brooke (Adam) Benforado, Jon (Ashley)Austin, and Emma Schectman; and seven great grandchildren: Madison, Sydney, Max, and Miles Bailer, Mira and Luca Benforado, and Oscar Austin.

Contributions can be made in Carol’s memory to Temple Sinai of North Dade (tsnd.org), St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org), or Bloomgarden’s Cultivating Possibilities (providing hot meals for the elderly poor, creating vegetable gardens at schools, and developing libraries in Kwazulu Natal province of South Africa); contact Karenne Bloomgarden (karennejo@gmail.com) for donation instructions.

Carol’s final gift was to Beauty of Sight, formerly the Florida Lions Eye Bank.

Then love knew it was called love. And when I lifted my eyes to your name, suddenly your heart showed me my way.

~ Pablo Neruda