Wonderful

 

    Rochelle Joan Carlton was born February 6th, 1951 in Philadelphia, PA. The daughter of John J. Carlton and Gertrude Snyder, she was an artist, an art teacher, and a social worker. Rochelle attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and graduated in 1969. At age 3 she became an older sister to Arlene Carlton who I married in 1978. Here is a picture of Rochelle and Arlene.

                                      

                                          

     Rochelle was an artist and explored many mediums. She dabbled in ceramics and the craft of batique (the dyeing of fabric by a specific process.) She was also a jewelry artist and had quite a following in the Delaware Valley. Her pieces were sold in upscale jewelry shops in New Hope, PA and some other shops in the area. Later in her life she produced some outstanding mosaic pieces. Pictured below are some examples of her work. 

 

     In 1980 she married David Young. They resided in the East Oak Lane area of Philadelphia and shared their house with several cats, dogs, and birds. In 1983 they welcomed their daughter, Alexis into their home and Rochelle’s career of motherhood began. She loved teaching children, doing arts and crafts with them, and helping them to explore their creative minds To be able to do so with her own child was a dream come true. Alexis went on to become a very accomplished artist herself. 

 

    Rochelle received a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Penn State and a Master’s in Art Therapy from Hahnemann University and worked for the city of Philadelphia as a social worker. She was charged with checking on children who were placed in foster homes in the city. Using her skills as an artist and a teacher she was able to make a positive difference in the lives of the children under her watch. After her daughter was born Rochelle retired from the city job but still continued with her  jewelry and artwork sales. 

 

    In 1994 Rochelle was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy which completely obliterated her long curly hair. She did survive that bout but did develop colon cancer and needed surgery to remove that tumor. In 2001 the breast cancer returned and had metastasized, spreading to her bones and liver. She succumbed to this second bout in August of 2001 at the much too young age of 50.   

     She had a special bond with her niece and nephews. My two children, and nephews from David's side of the family.She and my daughter, Molly were especially close. Molly and I began riding bikes in the American Cancer Society bike a thon each year in Rochelle’s memory and have raised several thousand dollars over the 20 years we rode together. When Molly was in 5th grade the class had an assignment to bring in something that was precious to them. Most of the kids brought in their favorite stuffed animal or their pet. Molly brought in this picture of her and Rochelle snuggling under a blanket. 

 

    Throughout her life Rochelle was always supportive of the art community in the region. Her passion for teaching art never waned. She taught art classes for kids at the Woodmere Art Museum and at Project Learn, a private community school where Alexis was a student. Even as her health was failing she continued to give art lessons to kids in her home. 

     Her creativity did not end with her jewelry, ceramics, or mosaics. She experimented a lot in the kitchen and her guests were never disappointed. She developed a killer BBQ sauce. One time she served me nachos with jalapeno peppers from her own garden. I never tasted anything so hot in my life. She was also enamored with her houseplants. She nurtured them like they were her own children. And she and David had animals. Cats by the names of Morgan, Ziggy, and Giancarlo Giannini. There were  several dogs. The Shelty was named Bonnie but was affectionately referred to as Bone. Fred was a Chocolate Lab and Allie was a rescued Golden Retriever. They also had birds. Jack, Harry, and Oscar. 

     Rochelle was a smart, intellectual, and creative soul. Her spirituality was expressed in her artwork, her relationships, and her love of life. She left us too soon but we are reminded of her every day when we look at her art pieces that are displayed in our house. If she could see them I think her comment would simply  be “Wonderful.”