Carol Joan Fleisher (née Murphy) passed away January 9, 2020. She was born September 10, 1934 and grew up in Fremont, Michigan, where she served as a drum majorette and was co-valedictorian of her high school class. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech therapy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she met her husband of 62 years, David Fleisher, on a one-sided blind date (David, who leaves very little to chance, scoped her out from his bicycle while she waited at a bus stop). After their first date, David made the wise choice to book up her schedule for several weeks in advance, and the rest was history.
Carol and David have lived in the same home in Webster Groves for over 50 years. They traveled the world together, visiting countless countries across multiple continents. Carol was a gifted musician and shared her love of music throughout her life as the piano accompanist for the Pitch Pipers and the Statesmen vocal groups. As a dedicated member of Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, she directed the Praise Ringers, a teen handbell choir, for over 30 years. She loved keeping up with her former bell ringers and organized a popular annual Christmas performance for Praise Ringer alumni. She provided free vision screenings to hundreds of preschool students in St. Louis through the Delta Gamma Center and was a longtime member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Her many hobbies included cooking and gardening, and in recent years she became a skilled bridge player. She published several books of genealogy research, having traced her family’s origins as far back as the 15th century. Carol served as a Stephen Minister, counseling people experiencing difficult times, and enriched others’ lives with her deep generosity, grace, open-mindedness, and sparkling sense of humor.
Although both Carol and her husband David grew up as the only children in their families, they created a vast and loving extended family that included not only their own children and grandchildren, but a number of lifelong friends. In addition to David, Carol is survived by her son, David Fleisher, Jr. of St. Louis, his wife Leah Ann Fleisher, her daughter, Susan Dooley of McLean, Virginia, and her husband Dan Dooley, and her grandchildren Monica, Caroline, Daniel, Natalie, Elaine, Joseph, and Nina. The Fleisher clan has gathered at Carol and David’s cottage, Moonglow, in Northern Michigan every summer since it was built in 1984. Other special trips took the family to Hawaii, where they celebrated Carol and David’s 50th wedding anniversary, and Alaska, where they celebrated their 60th anniversary.
A memorial service and reception will be held at 2 p.m. on February 1, 2020, at the Webster Groves Presbyterian Church. Donations in Carol's memory may be made to the Webster Groves Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, 45 W. Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, MO, 63119 (www.wgpc.org) or the Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments, 1750 S. Big Bend Blvd, Richmond Heights, MO, 63117 (www.dgckids.org/support/)
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again, may God hold you
in the palm of His hand.
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