Carole L. Zeida

On February 13, Carole Lorraine (Winchenbach) Zeida passed away peacefully after a long period of declining health. Her memory will be kept alive by her husband of 68 years, Robert R. Zeida of Dartmouth, her daughter Lori M. Queto of Dartmouth, her son Kerry G. Zeida of Dartmouth, her daughter Darlene E. Shepardson of Fairhaven, and her many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her first-born son, Robert W. Zeida (d. 2012).

Carole was born in 1933 to William E. and Esther M . (Maher) Winchenbach in Jamaica Plain, Mass., where she grew up with her older brother Warren. After graduating from Roslindale High School, she worked for AT&T in Boston briefly before marrying Robert and starting a new position, one she would hold with distinction for the rest of her life: Mom. Among the many gifts Carole shared with her family and friends were her extraordinary talent for crafts and decorating, her infectious enthusiasm for gathering people around holidays and special events, and her unique ability to make others smile - especially her grandchildren, with whom she shared a special bond.

In 1991, at the age of 57, Carole realized her dream of a college education, graduating from Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth) with a B.A. in Psychology. For more than 20 years, she was a patient/family liaison in the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital alongside her husband, and a coordinator in the hospital's psychiatric unit. Her contribution to the community was recognized in a profile in The New Bedford Standard-Times.

A memorial mass at St. Julie Billiart church in Dartmouth, Mass., will be held on Friday, February 19, at 11 a.m., followed by a burial service at St. John's Cemetery in New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks Carole's friends and admirers to make a donation to the nonprofit New Bedford Jewish Convalescent Home, 200 Hawthorne St., New Bedford, MA 02740 or www.nbjch.org, whose compassionate and dedicated caregivers became Carole's second family during her time there. For online tribute: www.waring-sullivan.com.