Carol Bartell (Weinberg)
Born: March 17, 1945 in New York, NY
Passed: March 2, 2024 in Chicago, IL

Carol grew up in the Bronx with her parents and younger brother, Howard Weinberg. She attended Hunter College in NYC, earning a Masters in Audiology and Speech Pathology. After starting her career at Bellevue Hospital in NYC, she spent the vast majority of her career with the Special School District of St. Louis County. She loved being an audiologist and her children often called her the “beep lady”.

Carol was first married on January 15, 1967 (during Superbowl I) to Ralph Bartell. They had 2 children, and lived in New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Michigan and then St. Louis. Divorced when the children were young, Carol was a single mother who raised her kids on her own all while working, actively participating in her kids’ loves, and finding time for friends. She was a dedicated member and held several leadership roles in the Ethical Society of St. Louis and the American Ethical Union. Carol married Bill Brighoff in1994, and they shared a love of theater, travel, and intellectual endeavors for many years until he passed away in 2019. Carol moved to Chicago in June 2023, and was diagnosed with leukemia at the same time. During her time in Chicago, where she lived close to her daughter and two granddaughters, she made many new friends at her senior living building and was laughing and telling stories until the very end.

Carol loved learning. She genuinely enjoyed meeting new people, especially listening to their life story. She cherished her grandchildren, teaching them them to be silly, thoughtful, questioning, fun, loving, and a little defiant of their parents – much like everyone else she encountered.

Carol was predeceased by her parents, Leonard and Bertha Weinberg, her second husband, William (Bill) Brighoff, and her stepson, Mark Brighoff. She is survived by her brother, Howard Weinberg (Sandy Weinberg), her children, Andrew Bartell (Caroline) and Kerry Teninty (Vincent), her grandchildren, Joanna Bartell, Ashlynn Teninty, Alexandra Teninty, and Kevin Bartell, and her nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Daniel Brighoff, Becky Immer and Ben Brighoff, and 5 step-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Chicago on Monday, April 22, 2024, 1:00 pm at Steppenwolf Theatre – main stage; reception to follow. Garage and street parking are available. For those unable to attend in person, please email info@ehsasheville.org for a Zoom link to the celebration. In lieu of flowers, it was Carol’s wish that donations be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS.org) or The Black Repertory Theater of St. Louis (theblackrep.org).