Cari's journey through life sets an example for us all - her love for life and those around her will forever leave a lasting impression on our lives.  Our lasting memories of Cari will always bring a smile to our faces and warmth in our hearts.  It was a blessing for us all to have shared our lives with such a beautiful soul.

Many have danced this dance called Life..but none with your brilliant grace.  Your life was and is a gift-thank you for sharing it.  Thank you for encouraging me when I was sad.  We stood watching our boys run the Jogathon, and had a nice talk.  I called you randomly, and you shared with me how you viewed important things.  Like a spiritual teacher in a light, so creative and alive way.  So much sweetness, pure and deep kindness.  You turned everything into something positive.  Thank you all for sharing your journey with many of us.  I cried a lot seeing you all.  It is good to cry sometimes.  Connecting.  deeply.  with a heavy and loving heart.  Hartmuth, you are a good father, and wise.  I believe your children and you will continue to grow stronger in love and finding that what carries and connects us all from within.  My thoughts and prayers are with you.  Thank you, Caridad, for watching over your family.   

There are no words to express my condolences during this time. I met Caridad a few years ago and from the moment we met I knew she was someone special. We had an instant connection and grew to be close friends in a short amount of time. I am so grateful to have had this wonderful person and friendship in my life. I am humbled by her beauty, her intelligence, her grace, her art, and her spirit full of wisdom. She will live on in our hearts and minds with daily acts of love, peace and resistance to injustice in the world. Thank you for the honor of knowing your beautiful soul mi angelita.

Dear Cari, 
I called you Honey Bunny and you'd laugh. Such a laugh! Your gorgeous voice on the phone. We had long conversations prior to finally meeting in person. You helped me through my cancer with such love.
You started writing a book about me after we met. I couldn't figure out what was so interesting until you read me a few chapters when calling for more information. I said "Wow that truly is interesting coming from your pen."  You said "Well its only based on you." God how we laughed over that one! I loved our long conversations that would lead off in abstract directions ... always long and heartfelt. You knew time was short and so we tried to pack a lifetime of friendship in since looking into each others hearts. And so we did. 
Cari honored me by asking for a letter of recommendation to graduated school. She planned to attend this fall. 
Cari and I "got" each other. I know this was one of her many gifts. Connection with others through love and wisdom. 
Hartmuth, Luke and Annabella my heart goes out to you. She loved her family above all else and spoke of her love every.single.conversation. 
Time was far too short for a woman I consider one of my soul sisters. Broken hearted now, but so very grateful to hold her in my heart forever.

Dear Hartmuth, Luke, and Annabella,

I am so sorry for your loss. That Cari was so loving and lovable, full of grace and determination, embracing life at all times must make her physical absence terrible to bear. Still I have watched you light up at her mention, embrace life as she would, and hold on together with boundless love. There is no better legacy she could have left you. She will continue to warm up your heart, calm your angst, and remind you of what is most important in life. 

Dear Cari, 

We did not get to meet in person yet you have left me with two blissful impressions: A picture of you and your family celebrating with champagne and smiles during the toughest of times, and your embrace of life rather than battle. You have left this world a better place.

In loving memory of my great friend Cari Kolb.
Well my dear, I can't believe that 26 years have passed since you strode into Pasta Vicci on 2nd Avenue as if you owned the place, ready to start that waitressing job. It was my role to show you the ropes on your first shift. You didn't listen to a single thing I said; spent the entire evening making wisecracks in both English and Spanish to anyone who would listen; did no waitressing at all; and when the shift finished at midnight, ordered the entire front of house staff out for drinks in the bar up the block. You were a total riot, an amazing force of nature, a truly unusual woman. You really didn't ever stop talking, it was weeks before I could get a word in edgeways! You were beautiful, and creative, quite tremendously opinionated, and super smart. Remember how some people were surprised, when, later, you got accepted by Columbia? Not me, I always knew that underneath the jokes and the fun and the parties, that you weren't messing around.
How proud I am that we kept in touch through the years. All those letters with the coloured envelopes and your beautiful drawings inside, and then later, the hundreds of emails. So much love in them for clever, kind, brave Hartmuth. So much love and pride in beautiful Luke and Annabella. As I've said to you so many times over the years, marrying him and having a family always was your best call, but you knew that anyway. See, I always told you that you were smart. It is a pleasure to have been proved right. What a wonderful record of friendship your correspondence is. I will always cherish it. But now it is my dreadful duty to bring our communication to a close with this, our very last letter. How sad I am that you have been taken from us all so soon, how cruel it seems to me that your wonderful, hilarious, passionate and utterly original voice has fallen silent. 
Always your friend,
Richard

Liebe Caridad,
Wir haben uns nur sehr kurz kennengelernt, aber Du warst uns sehr nah. 

We are so sorry, to miss you too early! Our thoughts are so much with you, Hartmuth and the kids. You are such a wonderful family and only you will be able to understand the loss really. It was wonderful to see how you all have been together on the journey and I wish Hartmuth and the kids will have all the support, help and love they deserve moving forward.

Thank you for your example

Best Johannes, Marie-Luise, Lorenz, Adrian, Raffael & Hannah

To Hartmuth, Luke and Annabella, my heart is with you. Cari loved you above all else. Her adoration for the family you created together was palpable. I send all my love, and I wish for the light of Caridad's infinite love to light your way. 

In remembrance of Caridad Kolb:

My dear friend, my sister. We found each other in La La Land, against the odds. You share my mother's birthday. You are a shinning light that will remain beyond the body that held you here. We had moments all our own; in-bliss, in-excess, in-adventure and in-love. The same hat, the same condiments, the same experience in different places at different times, we shared a true sisterhood.

Passionate human being that you were, soul on fire that you are, I am blessed to be your friend. I know you will travel well to your next destination. And I will miss you, until we meet again. You cared like a mother, advised like a scholar, and shared like a sister. I carry your wisdom, your force of nature and your warm embrace in my heart. To be loved by you was an honor. Your love had depth and texture.

I will never forget the first time we met; the sea of humans parted and there you were; dancing and smiling. We locked eyes and a friendship began. You were a breath of fresh air in the smog and I was SO pleased.

The embodiment of joie de vivre was you.

 ❤J'taime mon amour

Lieber Hartmuth, liebe Annabella, lieber Luke

Wir glauben, dass es Cari so haben möchte: 

"Wenn ihr an mich denkt, seid nicht traurig, 
sondern habt den Mut, 
von mir zu erzählen und zu lachen. 
Lasst mir meinen Platz zwischen euch, 
so, wie ich ihn im Leben hatte."

Sie wird euch immer begleiten, über euch wachen und ihr werdet viel von ihr erzählen. Auch in unseren Herzen werden wir die kostbare Erinnerung an Cari tragen.

In tiefer Trauer  Lenah und Beat

Caridad, what I wouldn't do to hear your gorgeous raspy voice pontificate on life, love and the ways of the world one more time. Somehow I thought you were the one who would beat this thing. I wanted to believe. Your strength, confidence and unwillingness to concede to cancer inspired me more than you know. It is with tremendous heartbreak that I write these words. The world has lost a dynamic artist; a bright light has dimmed. I will never forget you. You had gravitas.

I first met Caridad when she showed up at my boutique spa in Venice  beach a decade ago and claimed it as her own magical place. She deemed it a clubhouse for ladies; we connected instantly. Over the years, there were so many holy moments between us that I lost track. The advice she gave me changed my life, enhanced my thinking and often blew my mind. I hope she knew how much I loved and admired her. 

I was barely more than an acquaintance, but the moments that we did share were so pure and full of life and truth that I felt like a best friend; she always made me feel extraordinary. She had the rare gift of truly listening and seeing you, remembering everything, and making you feel like if you passed her test of friendship, you were golden. She was both royal and street-smart-as-a-whip; I always marveled how seamlessly she could merge the two, partying with the rock stars while married to a scientist, holding her own in a conversation with either. 

She was fearless, foxy, fresh and fun. She would tell a truth that no one else dared to. Even I am too shy to share my favorite folklore about her. Her raw power was undeniable. My only solace is that she will live on in the children she consciously raised and adored, and her heroic husband, her soulmate Hartmuth. True love is rare. The steadfast partnership I witnessed between these two is practically mystical. May Caridad's light and magic continue to shine on within all of us, especially her beloved family, as we remember to embrace life in the face of tribulation, dare to express our creativity and share our daring opinions.
PS please buy a copy of Strunk and White's Element of Style, so that when you do share your opinion it will be darling and concise-- I promised her I would and failed miserably to embrace it; my copy has been gathering dust. So forgive any unnecessary words. One day, I'll get it. Even in death, she haunts me. PPS Read every bit of Frau Kolb's blog The Talking Grid, she made it for us. 

Julia Lolita Martin-Wrobel

Cari's beauty, generosity, love, wisdom and grace were palpable, even though I never met her in person. My heartfelt condolences to Harmuth and her two children.
Hilary Goldblatt

The first time I met Cari we went to a wonderful Monet exhibition in Basel/Switzerland. We talked about art and life and became close friends. Not long ago we talked about meeting soon again to see the new Monet-show in the same Museum, this 14 years after the first show. Now I will admire the beautiful waterlily paintings alone but with Cari in my heart, hearing her intelligent and wise comments, hearing her laugh so wonderful, seeing her dark kind eyes, full of humor and joy of living. I will remember all the wonderful stories we made up and I will miss Cari very much.

D'era Hartmuth, we want to express our deepest grief for your great loss. May your Faith be of comfort and help you to face this very sad event. Although so far, we feel close to you, Annabelle and Luke. A big hug Sebastian & Ivonne

It is with great sadness that we write these lines.  We are sorry we are not able to be with you at Cari's funeral -- and send you our heartfelt condolences.  

Cari left us much too early and much too young, in the absolute prime of her life.   

And we know her illness has been a long and difficult struggle for her, and for all of you.

However, we remember that even through her illness, you all enjoyed all the time you had together, how you took trips to special places, how you enjoyed being with each other, and with your friends.  

Cari was always full of life. she embraced it with curiosity and passion. This is the Frau Kolb we remember, honor, and whose friendship we always will cherish.  

Distance has not allowed us to be physically present but, as you know, we feel very close to you and look forward to keeping our special friendship for many years to come.

Love,

Feigue, Eran, Gideon & Gabe

Dear Caridad, 
I never had the chance to meet you in person but the energy and grace of your soul radiates so strongly that reaches out to the confines of many that you never even met in person. 
I am terribly sorry for the loss that your husband and young children are experiencing and can only hope that all the love and teachings that you have left in this world through them and others will help them move forward in the positive way that you wished them to.
With Love, 
Rosa

Cari and I met as neighbors in Playa Del Rey, CA. Our friendship developed slowly over the course of several years. We would see each other in the garage to our building and we were like ships passing in the night. Courtesy greetings turned into curiosity. After our friendship blossomed, we laughed about how we "ignored" each other in the beginning...like you could ever ignore Cari! I was actually disappointed in myself that I didn't get to know her sooner. I was deeply impressed by this woman's incredible spirit and positive attitude...and the laugh. It sounded like beautiful bells. I can still hear it and it always made me smile. Still does when I think about it. We were like a couple of giggly school girls and I loved every minute of it.

Cari was amazing to watch. Her style, her intellect, her love for her husband and children and the class and generosity she exhibited. I always felt honored to be in her presence. I enjoyed watching her with her children. You could see the respect and love between them. It was beautiful. 

The last time I saw her was for a impromptu birthday celebration last year. Typical Cari fashion - she clearly wasn't feeling well, but wanted to do nothing more than enjoy her girlfriends...and enjoy ourselves we did! Champagne, cheese, ice cream, cake, flowers, it was divine. Annabelle joined us (Luke and Hartmuth let us do our female bonding). We laughed, talked and celebrated. At the end of the day, I realized how fortunate I was to spend a single minute with this amazing woman. 

I am happy that I got to experience the wonder that was Cari. I loved her and will miss her very much.

My heart goes out to Hartmuth, Annabelle and Luke. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Beautiful Caridad. You were and continue to be one of the strongest and bravest women I know. You amazed me in our first moments and in our last.  I will always remember your warm sincerity and loving presence. In the first moments I met you I was taken in  by your passion and excitement for life. I told you this in one of our last conversations, but it was as if you really saw me. You were so easy to talk to. We became instead friends. Although our times together were few, I learned so much from you, especially in our last conversation, which I will never forget.  I can only dream  to be as brave as you were. You found beauty in people and life even in the most difficult circumstance. I admire and look up to you as a woman, mother and wife. Hartmuth, Annabelle and Luke, thinking of the three of you and praying for your strength and peace in this difficult time.

I was really shocked when I read the sad message of Cari's demise. Unfortunately I haven't seen her very often in the years past, maybe because of the distances between Europe and the US. But I have so many deep and wonderful memories about Cari. 
I remember the very first time, when I came to visit Cari and Hartmuth in New York. It was still in the beginning of their relationship. Cari showed me New York, her city, she was so proud and from the first moment with Hartmuth always in love, she was full of life, full of energy. She immediately took me under her spell, with her way of life and with her joie de vivre. 
She was really unique, her unbridled optimism, with her power in all what she has done, how she acted, how she lived and how she appeared. She was a wonderful mother, wonderful wife as far as I've seen her together with Hartmuth and she was so happy having found her one and only love in Hartmuth, in her family with two wonderful children, Luke and Annabella. It makes me cry when I think of her and that her dream on Earth ended so quickly. I feel with you Hartmuth, my brother, with you dear Luke and dear Annabella, I'm with you even though the distance is separating us. 
My dear brother Hartmuth, my dear nephew Luke and my dear niece Annabella, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Cari is an eternal spirit that will guide, comfort and enlighten for eternity. Her ever inspiring insight and intelligence fostered endless conversations that always left me pondering.  It's truly a blessing to have spent so many years with Cari and family experiencing everything life has to offer.  The diaper head family portrait is etched in my mind along with many other memories I will cherish forever.    Cari's devotion as a mother, wife and friend is incomparable to any other.  Much love to the family during this time and always.

Cari, I miss you so much. You were my first friend in LA. You died much too young. I am glad I have two of your paintings. They remind me of you every day.
Hartmuth, Luke und Anabella: Mein herzliches Beileid. Es ist unfassbar.

We are planting light pink tulips outside my painting studio window in memory of Caridad. So many tears stream here in this home for this loss, for you Hartmuth, for the children, and for myself. Caridad was a soulmate. A brilliant, beautiful, brave, hilarious, serious, exquisite woman who brought me so much joy. She made me laugh like nobody else can. The energy she brought into the world was truly uncanny. I feel lucky to have shared time with her. Cari and I got to be young together. We played like cubs. The wildest of wildflowers, hitchhiking in Manhattan, dancing til all hours. Arting out.  She had such an incredible sensibility - there will never be another who can compare. In my heart, she will always remain a brilliant shining star.

My heart breaks for you and your beautiful children, dear Hartmuth ~ and I am so grateful for my precious moments with Cari, my friend. We were Thelma & Louise: having coffee together at a cafe in Paris! We were sisters, deeply drawn to each other in need, in love and laughter ~ guided by the hand of God. I will never forget her.

Caridad Kolb was a very dear friend to me.  She was a tempest and a cool refreshing pool.  Her loyalty and bravery were unmatched by others.  Everyone who met her will remember her.  She was not easily discovered, however as her layers and depth were almost impossible to grasp.  A mysterious trickster, she could not be categorized by anyone and self-created every day.  She was like a holographic butterfly, each iteration revealing a different color or shimmer.  Cari was a true artist.

  Cari not only loved to paint she was an explorer of language, philosophy and people.  She loved people and I was lucky that she loved me.  But her greatest passion was her family.
  Her children were the jewels in her crown.  She was so so proud of them, how they were both a beautiful combination of her and Hartmuth.  When I visited she was so proud when Annabella asked to see the big book of Ancient Egyptian art and how her child responded with a curiosity and intelligence to learning.  She explained patiently each piece that caught Annabella's eye and truly gloried in being her mother and teacher.  She was so proud of Luke, how tall and competent he was . She often told me, that she couldn't do this without Luke. " or she couldn't do this without Hartmuth.   She was so proud to see him growing into a young man and favoring his father, whom Cari loved unabashedly to the end. 

 I can not describe the loss I feel when I think of Cari not being here on this earth to teach us and love us and have fun.  But it is not only my sadness but a celebration that such a marvelous woman was able to be here in the first place.  I will miss Cari for what she gave to me, intellectual companionship, great advice, an argument now and then and extravagant love.  I know every time I see a certain kind of cowboy hat, a sticker on a wall, a picture of the Eiffel Tower, or a palm tree, I will think of her.  Love you Cari!

Caridad's spirit throughout this difficult time was truly inspiring. Gertraud an I will keep her in our hearts. To you Hartmuth and the children, we send our best and warmest thoughts.
Johannes an Gertraud Czernin

Cari's inspiring commitment of living each day with joy and grace, and her unwavering desire to make our world a better place will forever be a source of inspiration and pride. She is a bright star that continues to shine in the hearts of everyone she touched. I will miss her and hope family and friends can find solace in the wonders of her life.

A more positive minded person , i have never known. 

In addition to painting, Cari had a gift and a facility for words, both spoken and written, and in fact she spoke several languages.
 
Cari's love for language, and her precision with word selection was like a science, as well as art-  

We celebrated the Irish-as Cari loved all cultures and people-but she had a particular fondness for Ireland and Irish people -(with a name like Branagan and being from the Dominican Republic, we must have some shared dna)- she was a kindred spirit.

I will never forget our evenings at the bar of the Ritz Carlton at Marina del Rey where we enjoyed our cocktails and talked about the world's problems and Cari always surprised me with her very different and always positive point of view.  We'll miss her, her creativity, her kindness and her love of life.

Hartmuth, my friend, our thoughts and prayers are with you and the children.

oh my friend.  you wore your ferocity for life well.  thank you for demanding the best you saw in life.   i only hope i repaid you for this lesson enough with my friendship.  i will miss you terribly.   much love to your family and the other fortunate people you touched.

Cari was an amazing person.  I only got to know her these last few years but Cari was the kind of person who could make herself known quickly.  She will be missed.

Cari taught us all a "Grand  and heroic" lesson.....
Life is a journey of Love, 
She was such an eternal and purposeful being!!!
Our love to Hartmuth and children and a knowing she is always with you.

Cari is a bright shining star that will continue to burn the light of love, compassion and inspiration. Just a wonderful person and I wish the world was full of Caris, because it would be such a better place! My thought and prayers are with you and your family Hartmuth...peace and love be with you my friend!

-John and Mary Jean Huntley

A MI QUERIDA AMIGA Y HERMANA CARIDAD.  SIEMPRE TE RECORDARE.  FORTALEZA A LA FAMILIA.  LOVE.

When I first laid eyes on Cari in 1993 The sun was shining on her face and I was so struck by her radiance ! Then when I got to know her astonished by her exuberance as a friend. Then impressed by her hunger for learning and her perserverance. Then came her marriage to Hartmuth, the one she had searched for, and their beautiful children Luke and Annabella, who she adored and respected, and she blossomed and became a wize mother and an adoring wife. But she also grew stronger- gave up nothing of her integrity - she was a creator of all things of beauty, spreading herself to her family, friends, her painting. Cari loved life and embraced it to the fullest. She lived such a bright and full life unmeasurable by time. She was able to spread light and love with a ferocity like no one else I have known . And she was really so good at it! She was a great friend to me and she will always remain in my heart. I am not saying goodbye because she is here within all the sprouting seeds she planted - her love still shines .

In loving memory of Caridad Kolb, nee Branagan, my beloved wife and my best friend. She was a devoted mother. Her way of being touched people's hearts and she made connections and friends wherever she went. She exuded sincere warmth toward people. The world is less bright without the sunshine in her heart. Certainly for our young children and me. 
A Columbia University graduate, she was a consummate artist. Her paintings are a wonderful legacy and they provide us with a constant reminder of her creative spirit. I loved her exciting writing style, which is actually what attracted me to her, even before we met 18 short years ago. Samples can be found on her web site at www.talkinggrid.com
Caridad was taken from us far too soon, at the young age of 44 years. She never considered her interaction with cancer as a "battle" or a "fight". Her approach was to "embrace life" and to celebrate it. I found this to be a very positive way of dealing with this illness, which propelled us forward. There are no regrets.

OBITUARY

Caridad Branagan Kolb

February 25, 1973 – March 29, 2017

El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley & Memorial Park

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