Salem - Carol Marie McCarl (Derouin, nee Broeren) died in Salem, Oregon on May 2nd, 2019 at the age of 80. Carol is survived by her children Janey Ray of Lake Oswego, Pete Derouin of Alexandria Virginia, three grandchildren Stephanie and Natalie Ray, and William Derouin. She was preceded in death by her parents Elmer and Rose Broeren, and her three siblings Lois Hannes and Dan and Helen Broeren, all of whom resided in Wisconsin.
Carol was born on November 28th, 1938 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She graduated from the Wisconsin School for the Blind in 1955 and received a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1959 from the Edgewood College of the Sacred Heart in Madison, Wisconsin. She went on to earn a Master's degree in 1960 in special education from Boston University. She met William Gerard Derouin of Waterbury, Connecticut while she was summer-teaching blind students in that area. Carol eventually moved to Oregon in 1964 to accept a teaching position at the Oregon School for the Blind, which was starting a new program. Bill followed her to Oregon in 1964, and the two were married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Halloween the same year. Over the next few years, the couple welcomed their two children into their home and raised them in the Catholic faith. Her children remember her as a kind, gentle, patient, and loving mother who was committed to her family, and to making a difference in the lives of everyone with whom she came into contact. She was living proof of what can be overcome if you set your mind to it.
Carol, who was born with retinitis pigmentosa, accomplished many things over the course of her life. As a kindergartener she said that she wanted to be a teacher, and as her life proved out, once she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her. She cared deeply for blind children because she knew firsthand how insurmountable the challenges facing the blind may seem at first. To that end, she taught blind children for 30 years at the Oregon School for the Blind and Portland State University. If that was not enough, she, through her company Blindskills Inc., became the publisher of two different magazines related to visual impairment; Lifeprints and then later Dialogue. Her dedication and hard work led to her being awarded the Migel Medal, a lifetime achievement medal awarded by the American Foundation for the Blind. It is the highest honor in the field of blindness. The award is presented annually to professionals and volunteers "who have contributed to improving the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired."
When she was not working, Carol enjoyed music, dancing, going to the beach and spending time with her family and grandkids. She was an avid sports fan and of course followed the Green Bay Packers where she was both a fan and even a one-share owner of the team! She loved to tell the story of when in 1998 she travelled to the famous frozen tundra of Lambeau field to attend a Packer home game.
If she were here to tell you herself, she would tell you that the reason she accomplished so much in her life was her unshakable faith in God. Among her abundant friends, the oft-repeated description of her was "Inspiration" with one friend flatly saying "the copious obstacles Carol overcame in her life would have ground a normal person to dust."
All are welcome to attend the funeral to celebrate Carol's life. Her funeral is scheduled in Salem for June 1st at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, with a reception to follow at the co-located Parish Center. Father Jonah Lynch and Deacon Allen Vandecoevering will preside over the ceremony. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to her non-profit Blindskills Inc. at 680 State Street, Salem OR 97301. Condolences can be left on the funeral home's webpage at www.hed-fh.com.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5