Obituary of Carole Benson-Kottmeier

Carole Benson of Mount Pleasant, co-chair of the Charleston County Democrats Database Committee, passed on Wednesday March 14, 2018 surrounded by her family and friends. Carole received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Penn State University and went on to develop successful careers as both a college professor and a private consultant in Public Administration. She was a member of the consulting team that worked with Governor Keene of NJ as he developed his own Government Improvement Commission. It was Carole’s brilliance, energy and determination that made her a crucial part of the Democratic Party in South Carolina. Members of the party would say that if you want something done: call Carole. Currently, she initiated the pending legislation to ban plastic bags in Mount Pleasant, SC. Her concern was always selfless about how to make the lives of others better. In 2015 Carole was honored by the South Carolina Women’s Council with the Unsung Hero Award presented by Senator Vincent Sheheen. In 2017, she was presented with a proclamation for Service to the Community by Mayor Tecklenburg of Charleston. Her insatiable curiosity led her on trips to historic sites with her son when he was younger and later with her beloved granddaughter, Caroline. She is survived by her son James (Jamie) Kottmeier, his wife Christine and granddaughter Caroline, her two sisters Candace (Candi) LaClair, and her daughter Nelcy, Kathi (Kare) Benson, brother Kenneth Benson, his wife Patti and their three children, by her long time dear friend, Margaret (Peggy) Reider and a number of extended family and friends who became family. She will be remembered deeply by her family and friends, but also by those who did not know her name but were helped by her actions, courage, and kindness towards all. Her house was always open to family and friends for coffee, conversations and puzzles. In all her communications Carole would add quotes from Robert Kennedy, “Some see things as they are and ask why, I dream things that never were and ask why not?” and President John Kennedy, “Ask not what your county can do for you, what you can do for your country.” For her, these were not just quotes, but the cornerstones on how she lived her life. As Carole would say: Don’t forget to vote the way your heart tells you to vote, but make sure that you vote. Services will be held at Circular Congregation Church, 150 Meeting Street, Charleston, on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 3:00. We ask that attendees wear blue. A reception will follow on the church campus. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Hospice of Charleston, the Circular Congregation Church of Charleston, and the Democratic Party would be welcomed. “Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Dylan Thomas)