Carol Hawkins REICH-PIANO 

Age 80, of Seattle, Washington and Shaftsbury, Vermont
- polio survivor, model, wintertime athlete,
passionate lover of life, landscapes, books and stray
cats - suffered a massive heart attack and passed away
on Sunday, 10 December. She leaves behind her beloved
husband, Nick Piano of Seattle, two sons, David McKim
Reich and Jonathan Wheeler Reich; her daughter-in-law,
Suzanne Schult-Reich (widow of the late Chandler
Ashton Reich); sister, Florence Yerxa of Seattle, and
brother, John Hawkins of Alamagordo, New Mexico; five
grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and devoted
friends on both coasts. Carol Hawkins, born in
Evanston, Illinois, 4 October 1926, attended
Northwestern University where she studied creative
writing. She grew up in Minneapolis, Lake Forest,
Illinois, La Luz, New Mexico and Carmel, New York.
Carol married Charles David (Dave) Reich in 1947. They
lived in Manhattan and North Salem, NY. They retired
to Shaftsbury, Vermont and finally to Seattle where
Dave passed away in 2004 after 57 wonderful years of
marriage. Carol married Nick Piano, U.S. Navy,
retired, in the summer of 2006. They spent 7 happy
months together. Carol had wide and varied interests,
including watercolor, horseback riding and exploration
of southwestern deserts and northeastern hardwood
forests. Equally at home and in love with New Mexico
and the New England countryside, she found fascination
with Pueblo, Navajo and Apache culture and became an
expert of ancient megalithic structures ranging from
upper Westchester County to the mountains of Vermont
and New Hampshire. Carol survived polio - including 40
days in the iron lung - in 1951. Despite that, she
retained her abilities as a very accomplished figure
skater and pretty good skier into her 40's. She
established a local tradition of autumn barn dances
during her time in Shaftsbury. She read voraciously
and could declaim on almost any subject with a great
sense of humor and to the delight or chagrin of all
who knew and loved her. A bright light went out in our
firmament when Carol died. Remembrances, Sunday,
December 17, 3:00 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church,
Medina, WA. In lieu of flowers, please send generous
donations to "The Babes Network" in care of the
Seattle YWCA. 

Published in print on 12/17/2006. 
Seattle Times