KELLEY, CAROL JOAN (nee NORGARD) August 31, 1937 – August 6, 2020 The world lost a vibrant spirit in the loss of Carol Kelley, to a short battle with brain cancer.
Carol wore many hats over the years: teacher, mentor, surrogate parent, tutor, educator, hippie, activist, actor, dancer, student, friend and mother. She was extremely passionate about all of these roles, going so far as to take students who were struggling into her home and giving them a place to feel safe. She taught for many years in the Toronto District School Board, enjoying the challenging placements the most – Contact School, Heydon Park Secondary School, and City Adult Learning Centre, were among her favourites.
She also greatly enjoyed teaching at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education – using her years of classroom knowledge and her education at Temple and OISE to instruct young teacher candidates how to teach – she did this well into her 70s because she enjoyed it so much and felt privileged to be able to influence young teachers. To know Carol was to know her passion for education, her strong will, her fierce independence, her exceptional care for her students, her excellent sense of humour, and her ability not to take herself too seriously.
She is survived by her daughter Beth and her son-in-law Mashell, who already miss her dearly. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Covenant House in Toronto.