Obituary: Carolyn Subin, 1942-2026

Carolyn Subin died on September 17, 2026, two months after being diagnosed with an aggressive stomach cancer. With gratitude towards Vermont’s death with dignity law, Carolyn died as she lived — on her own terms. She was at home, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, sharing wisdom and laughter through her final moments.

Carolyn was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 17, 1942. The child of Russian-Jewish parents, she was the second of four sisters. Carolyn grew up in New York and in Palm Beach, Fla. She was attending Oberlin College when she was forced to withdraw because of her father’s death. She transferred to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she completed her BA. It was also in D.C. where Carolyn met Harry Subin. They were married for nearly 50 years. And for 50 years they were each other’s best friends. They had four kids in four years between 1965 and 1969. The family moved to the suburbs of New York City in 1966, where Carolyn lived until Harry died in 2011. She then relocated to Jericho, Vt.

Carolyn dedicated the first chapter of her professional career to teaching. She received a master’s in education from Manhattanville College. She worked mostly in special education in public schools and most often with children that had the greatest needs. She also cofounded a progressive early childhood learning center and brought experiential education to troubled teens on ropes courses and rock faces in the ’70s and early ’80s.

Carolyn left teaching to pursue a career in social work. She received a master’s in psychiatric social work and a PhD in clinical social work from New York University (1990, 2000). She worked as a therapeutic social worker in psychiatric hospitals around New York and ultimately became the chief of the mental health unit at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the only maximum-security prison for women in the state of New York. She worked with and learned from the women of Bedford for almost 15 years. She went on to a private psychiatric social work practice in Vermont and saw patients until just a few weeks before she died.

Carolyn worked with individuals but also cared about communities. She marched on Washington in 1963 and heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. share his dream with the world. She was marching still, alongside her children and grandchildren, through her final year.

Carolyn’s expansive volume of work was coupled with a fierce appetite for adventure and play. She traveled extensively around the world. Among endeavors too numerous to list, she bungee jumped and skydived. She trekked in Nepal, climbed Machu Picchu and scuba dived in the Red Sea. She ran 17 marathons, including qualifying for the elite Boston Marathon, which she ran at the age of 63. Later in her life she paddled dragon boats, skied, hiked and biked. Her last trip, in June, found her on the fjords of Norway.

Although she had to be encouraged to admit it, Carolyn was an accomplished artist. She worked primarily in watercolors but explored many other mediums, always inspired by the works of others, famous or not. Her work was shown in a variety of settings around Vermont.

All of these accomplishments notwithstanding, Carolyn’s greatest joy and the source of her deepest pride was her family. The legacy she built with Harry includes her four children, her eight grandchildren and their partners. Her first great-grandchild is expected in April. She was a matriarch beyond comparison.

The family is planning a celebration of Carolyn’s incredible life to be held in July. They are accepting donations in her honor at the Carolyn Subin Memorial Fund at the Pennywise Foundation (pennywise.org/donate-1-1-1-1). It will support causes she cared about deeply and advocated for fiercely throughout her life — including access to mental health services, justice, and support for incarcerated women and the right to choose.

In remembering her, it is certain that Carolyn would want all to keep in mind one of her favorite quotes: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” (Mae West)

This article appears in October 28 • 2026.