Carol Elizabeth Dinan

Born Carol Elizabeth Enzler in Dubuque, Iowa, she spent her formative years in Bethesda, Maryland as the second oldest of 13 children. After receiving a BA from Clarke College in Dubuque, she earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Fordham University and a Master of Arts in teaching degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she met John “Jack” Dinan.

In 1967, she married Jack at Our Lady of Lourdes church in Bethesda. Their Catholic faith guided them through 58 years of marriage.

Family life revolved around the dinner table, where Carol would have the meal served every evening at 6 pm, even while juggling the schedules of her four sons and two daughters.

Mathematics education was a lifelong passion. Carol was a beloved tutor to dozens of students in the Mount Vernon area and returned to the classroom full time to teach for 27 years at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.

After retiring, she continued teaching math to her grandchildren, who were spread across the country. She loved solving math puzzles, and she often used them to highlight math concepts. Her favorite t-shirt read: “My password is the last 8 digits of Pi.”

Her children calculated that, over her lifetime, she baked well over 300,000 cookies, which complemented more than 13,000 home-made school lunches, enriched her husband’s coffee breaks, and ensured that her home became a popular neighborhood hangout..

She donated more than 12 gallons of O-negative blood, saving countless lives — particularly those of newborns.

She was an avid reader and a member of multiple book clubs. Her sewing room was a refuge. She once made matching bathing trunks for Jack and her sons. Her crocheting and embroidery produced treasures for so many family members.

She was a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Mary in Old Town, Alexandria, and over the years, taught CCD classes at a parish in New Haven CT and three parishes in Northern Virginia.

She volunteered at Catholic Charities DC and frequently served at their weekly St. Maria’s Meals event, often alongside her brother, daughter, and grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents Clarence and Kathleen Enzler and her sisters Mary Pat Breitfelder and Jean Rossi. She is survived by her husband, six children, 15 grandchildren, two great grandchildren (with one on the way), and 10 of her brothers and sisters.

Arrangements for the funeral are by Demaine Funeral Home in Alexandria.