CAMDEN – Carole Jean Lerner, 72, owner of Owl & Turtle Bookstore, died peacefully Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, at home. Born in Detroit, Mich., Carole was the only child of Andrew and Maxine Sutyak. From an early age, she felt compassion for others and had a gift for art. It was through a class field trip to a hospital that Carole learned about occupational therapy, a profession that could connect her desire to heal with her gift for creativity. She went on to graduate from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in the profession and completed residencies at the University of Michigan Hospital and Psychiatric Institute. Throughout the 1960s, Carole worked at Detroit’s Sinai Hospital. While there, she met and married psychoanalyst, Dr. Paul Lerner. Carole and Paul were married for 38 years, until his death in 2006. It was also at Detroit’s Sinai Hospital where their only child, Brett, was born. The family followed Dr. Lerner’s academic and professional career to Canada, where they lived for the next several decades. While in Toronto, Carole became head of the psychiatric occupation therapy department at Mount Sinai Hospital. She also taught occupation therapy at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and published several works on the subject. In the late 1980s, the family moved to Asheville, N.C. Ever a fan of Nancy Drew mysteries, Carole fulfilled a childhood dream by joining the detective division of Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, where she served as a deputy sheriff for psychiatric profiling. In addition, Carole held the position of town commissioner for Biltmore Forest and in the role helped preserve numerous trees and wildlife. Dr. and Mrs. Lerner moved to Camden in the mid-1990s to be closer to their son and his family. For more than a decade, the Lerner’s owned and operated Owl & Turtle Bookstore. This warm and inviting store brought many of the nation’s top authors to Camden. It’s recognized as one of New England’s premier independent bookstores and was most recently voted Maine’s top bookstore by the readers of Down East magazine. Carole had several passions in life, including antiques, genealogy, animals and her Cadillac, affectionately known as “Midnight Blue.” She regularly finished The New York Times crossword puzzle in less than two hours. She never missed an episode of The Young and the Restless in more than 25 years, and always enjoyed a Beefeater martini – up with a twist. Above all, her family came first. Surviving are her son, Brett; daughter-in-law, Kristine; two granddaughters, Caroline and Claire, all of Camden; and her mother, Maxine Scudder Sutyak of Port Richey, Fla. Visiting hours will be held 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Long Funeral Home, 9 Mountain St., Camden. A celebration of life will be held 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at Owl & Turtle Bookstore, 32 Washington St., Camden. A reception will be held after the service. The family suggests contributions be made in Carole’s memory to Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League, P.O. Box 707, Camden, ME 04843 or to the animal shelter of your choice.
CAROLE LERNER
