Carol J. Belfiore

"I want to ride my bike..."

Carol Jean Belfiore passed away on Wednesday, June 8th.  She was born on January 27, 1948 and was raised in Lewisburg, PA, the second-oldest of six siblings.  She lived in Rochester, NY where her two daughters were born, then moved to Fort Collins, CO where she earned her PhD in physiology.  She had two granddaughters.

Carol was a juggernaut for life, greeting each day as a new opportunity for accomplishment.  Riding her bicycle was one of her biggest passions, she rode centuries and introduced her family and friends to cycling.  Carol’s church was the Great Outdoors and she loved all activities that combined exercise, challenge and connection with nature such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and climbing mountains.  She excelled at word games; her Scrabble tiles remained with her to the end.

Remodeling historic homes was an important activity and contribution to her family.  In her lifetime she took houses down to their bones and with intense attention to detail restored them to glorious conditions.  She worked as a fitness instructor, leading step aerobics classes for her colleagues and for the city.  She also worked security for big concerts, sporting events, and training camps.

Environmentalism and giving came naturally to Carol.  She was recycling way before it was cool to do so.  Her favorite charities were for the animals; she made it her mission to donate as much as she could as frequently as possible.  Her favorite charities benefited arctic critters especially polar bears; she imagined coming back to this world as one.

She is gone too soon and will be sorely missed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Carol’s name to ASPCA or Planned Parenthood.