Obituary: Carol Irene (Snyder) Richer
December 1, 1944 - September 10, 2021
Carol Irene (Snyder) Richer passed away on September 10, 2021. Carol was born in Tupper Lake, New York, on December 1, 1944, the daughter of Virginia and Glen Snyder, and an only child. She attended public school and graduated from Tupper Lake High School with honors in 1962 alongside her sweetheart, James Roland Richer.
The outdoors of the Adirondacks were her playground. When she was not submitting one of the 46 High Peaks, or on the water, she skied, racing with notable success and spending as much time as possible on the slopes. Her joyful, calm, kind, and independent spirit were evident from a young age.
Carol attended Green Mountain College in Vermont and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, majoring in zoology. Her first puppy joined her during this time.
On December 17, 1966, Carol and Jim were married at St. Alphonsus Church in Tupper Lake and began their married life together in Waterbury, Vermont. Carol was a ski instructor, on ski patrol, and worked in the labs of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A year later, she and Jim bought their first house in a valley on the Little River in Waterbury, where they settled for the next 35 years, raising their family of three children.
Carol created a cozy, welcoming household. She started the fire in the woodstove each morning and provided hearty dinners every evening. During the day, she cared for their many food animals and vegetable gardens, sewed, put up food, and did carpentry and crafts of every kind. She always had a project!
Carol’s community spirit was evident. She and Jim cleared trash from the rivers in the first Green Up days. She collected, tested, and reported on acid rain, went into classrooms with the earliest Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) instructors, and launched one of the first school Nordic ski programs in Vermont. Her humor and creativity came through in Waterbury’s annual Winter Croquet Tournament with the triumphant and colorful Bungle Family.
Carol’s heart never left the Adirondacks. By 2002, Carol and Jim purchased a home on Simond Pond and moved back to Tupper Lake permanently, later taking up residence in her parents’ old home in Moody.
Upon their return, they paddled and hiked with The Irregulars and worked to renovate Big Tupper Ski Area. They took great interest in the establishment of The Wild Center museum and were in the first group of volunteers when the public arrived. One of the biggest thrills of Carol’s adult life was seeing the Big Tupper Ski Area reopen.
Many people were recipients of Carol’s quiet kindness and creations. In 2021 they spent a final summer in Tupper Lake and then moved to a house of their own in Shelburne. In her last days, Carol was attended to by the caring hands of the Vermont McClure Miller Respite House. She passed away due to cerebral hemorrhaging and complications with Lewy body dementia and parkinsonisms. She was surrounded by the presence and voices of family and friends until the very end.
Carol is survived by her husband, James Richer and her children and grandchildren: Gretchen Richer and children Noah and Zibiah Dartt; Chris and wife Ryan Richer and son, Lucas Richer; Matthew Richer and wife Elena Ramirez and children Emma and Ellie Richer-Ramirez. She also leaves behind her loyal golden retriever, Charlie VII, and dear friends.
The family gratefully acknowledges Carol’s dedicated caregivers: Noelle Casagrain, Katie Coakley, Armanda Farnsworth, Tricia Jaquis, Isabelle Sharp, Grace Shumski, and Kathy Yantz, without whom the last 18 months of independence would not have been possible.
Carol will return forever to her beloved Tupper Lake on Saturday, Oct. 23. She will be buried at St. Alphonsus Cemetery in a private ceremony.
Please plan to join her family for a public memorial and celebration of Carol’s life on Saturday, Oct. 23, at The Wild Center Museum in Tupper Lake, N.Y. at 5:30 p.m. Food will be served and the exhibits will be open. Little would have made Carol happier than the opportunity to share a small slice of the Adirondack world to which she was so devoted.
Donations in Carol’s memory can be made to The Wild Center 45 Museum Dr, Tupper Lake, NY 12986