Barbara H. “Babs” Carroll
1940-2020
Age 80, died Friday, March 27, 2020 at the Chelsea Retirement Community.
She was born Jan. 8, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Frydryk Yemans and Jane (Thompson) Henkel.
Babs was a longtime member of the recovery community, known and loved by many of us. She was an artist, and being serious about “giving back”, she returned to college (Wayne State) at the age of 60, getting her Masters in Art Therapy. She came back to Ann Arbor and was a prime mover in founding the Art Therapy program at Dawn Farm.
Her husband recently deceased, Babs was shocked one day to get a letter from her long-lost teenage sweetheart. He had always wanted her back, and after a long internet search offering many names, he sent a letter to the likeliest one. She replied at once, they talked on the phone for the first time in 48 years, and started visiting by train between his home in Boston and hers in Ann Arbor.
They married in 2009 and lived in Dexter until Babs was moved permanently to Chelsea Retirement Center, where she was treated for vascular dementia. She died of blood deficiencies on March 27th.
A viewing will be held at Cole Funeral Chapel, 214 E. Middle St., Chelsea on Saturday, April 4th in the afternoon. Due to Covid 19 situation, please call the funeral home at (734) 475-1551 and we will schedule at time for you to speak with the family and pay your respects. We will follow social distancing protocol at the visitation for everyone’s safety.
For the full obituary, please click here.
