The Carole Susan Haas era came to an end on Jan. 24 after her long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Carole, 73, was born in Queens, NY, on Dec. 14, 1950 to Edward and Ellen (Hammarberg) Haas. She was a resident of Cape Elizabeth for 33 years.

In addition to her family, who she loved dearly and was so proud of, Carole's other loves were early Renaissance music and the environment, especially protecting America's wildlands.

Carole attended Queen's College in NYC and played bassoon in the college orchestra. After obtaining her Master's degree in music education from Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, Carole went on to teach music at Buckingham Brown and Nichols in Cambridge. After moving to the Washington, DC area, she taught music at the Friends International School. In addition to the bassoon, Carole played the harpsichord, violin and recorder. She had a deep love for early Renaissance music, and often performed with her recorder in Renaissance fairs and festivals in Maryland.

Carole then took courses in computer programming to supplement her teaching income, and went on to become a full-time systems analyst for Aztec Corp in Washington.

An avid hiker, Carole met her future husband, Bob Dodd, on a winter hike in the Shenandoah Mountains. After marriage, Carole and Bob bought their home in Silver Spring, MD. There they had their two children, Emily and Conor. In 1991, they moved back to New England to be closer to their extended families. They ended up in Cape Elizabeth and have lived there ever since.

Carole got involved in environmental issues soon after moving to Maine. She became deeply involved on the staff of the Ban Clearcutting Campaign and soon afterwards served for three years as chair of the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club. The national Sierra Club invited her to serve on its Wildlands Committee and she became active with the group for several years. Carole also served on the board of the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust and on the town's Conservation Commission. As the first executive director of the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, Carole's most treasured achievement was overseeing the purchase of easements on Crocker Mountain that preserve spectacular views for Appalachian Trail hikers. She retired in 2012 due to the early effects of Alzheimer's.

Carole was pre-deceased by her parents, Edward and Ellen Haas.

Carole is survived by her husband of 39 years, Bob; her daughter Emily Brangwynne (Michael); by her son, Conor Dodd; and two granddaughters, Autumn (4) and Charlotte (1). She is also survived by her brother, Randy Haas (Robin), sister-in-law Linda Dodd; her niece, Keri (Alex); and nephews Tim (Joyce) and Jason; and grandnephews and grandniece Max, Gavin and Rylee; and her step-mother, Helen Haas. She also leaves behind several dear friends whose company she greatly enjoyed; and her dog, Riley.

At Carole's request, there will be no funeral service. A celebration of Carole's life is planned for when warmer weather arrives in Maine.