Memorial Gathering for Carol Dubs

Date: Thursday, June 25th
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Location: Hogar de Esperanza on Juan Montalvo 9-78 and Gran Colombia
Program: Similar to what has been done in the past when we lose an expat friend. There will be refreshments and photos of Carol, our bookstore, etc. People will have an opportunity to share memories and tell stories about Carol. Someone will be available to translate.

A note from Lee Dubs …
Carol and I came to Cuenca in 2004. I tell people that we were among the first gringos in town. I had known Cuenca since my first trip in 1990 to establish an exchange program between the University of Cuenca and my college in North Carolina. One day when Carol and I were in a local bookstore, she confessed to me that she always had a dream of “owning a bookstore with a cat in the corner.”

I agreed in 2005 to give it a try, and we accepted the invitation of the owner of that bookstore to join her. A fire in the upper floors of that building forced us to move in 2007, and we resettled on Hermano Miguel and Calle Larga. I named us the Carolina Bookstore in honor of Carol. We became a gathering spot for gringos and many others. A common farewell in Cuenca was “See you at the bookstore.” Everyone knew which bookstore, which a traveler once called “the Barnes and Noble of South America.”.

As Carol’s health deteriorated, she could no longer leave our apartment and I persuaded her to sell her beloved store in 2016. It survives to this day but without the grandeur of its glory days. Carol died in her sleep on May 21st. She suffered from three major illnesses that conspired to carry her off. Her beautiful heart finally stopped.