Carol C Ervin

1953-2023

On July 9, 2023, Heaven got a little brighter—and a whole lot more fun.

Carol Corsini Ervin, 69, of Cape Coral, FL, packed more life into her years than most of us could do in 10 lifetimes. And if MS was meant to slow her down, she never got the memo.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, to the late Louis and Nancy (Arbore) Corsini, Carol was the second of the Corsini brood and a born entertainer. In third grade, she wowed her classmates with celebrity impersonations. She could sing harmony before she even knew what it was. And at age 10, she performed comedy skits from The Ed Sullivan Show with her sister for relatives. That girl knew how to light up a living room.

Moving to Hazlet, NJ, in her teens, Carol graduated from Raritan High School—Class of ’71, a class that remains close to this day. (Little did she know that the cute boy she “fell in love” with on Day One in Art Class would, years later, become her husband.)

After high school, she moved to Manhattan, worked at JC Penney Corporate, and eventually became an Executive Assistant at ABC News, where she spent 30 years and made lifelong friendships. In fact, every friend Carol EVER made was a keeper for life.

Maybe “Everybody Loves Raymond,” but everybody ADORED Carol. She was our cheerleader. Our partner in crime. Our love-life advisor. Our audition coach. Our favorite laugh-maker. Our inspiration. Our open arms if we needed a place to live. Our shoulder to cry on. And the most talented person we’ve ever known.

Back in the day, Carol was the lead singer in four cover bands. As a stage actress, she portrayed everyone from Antigone to a smart-ass New York bank robber. She wrote and performed song parodies at parties. She had a side gig doing celebrity voices (like Cher, Roseanne Barr, and Katherine Hepburn) for ABC radio. She even got to audition on a Broadway stage for the part of Rizzo in “Grease.” And when MS left her with just two moving fingers, she used those fingers to write a hilarious book called “The Lighter Side of MS: Life, Laughter, and Sucking it Up.” (Five stars on Amazon!)

Possibly Carol’s most beautiful trait was her love of family. She will be sorely missed by her husband, Jeff—her high school crush and the absolute love of her life, who cared for her to her last day; her stepchildren, Carly (and husband, Casey) Marchese, and Jeffrey, whom she couldn’t have loved more; and grandson, Myles Marchese, whose first birthday she’ll miss.

Carol also sadly leaves her Heaven-sent Stepmom, Nunzia Corsini; her big sister, Patricia (and husband Victor) Caroli; her “close-as-a-sister” Aunt Rose; her younger brothers, Louis (and fiancée, Nancy); Billy (and wife, Shay); and Anthony (and wife, Liz); together with her wonderful nephews and nieces—Danny, Bryan, Jimmy, Kevin, Isabella, Brielle, and Dylan.

Carol will also be missed by all her aunts, cousins, countless friends, and extended Ervin family—and by her loving caregivers from Serenity at Home, who always treated Carol as family.

Ever an optimist, Carol would want us to remember her for all the happy times. As she said the day she realized MS had finally claimed the use of her legs, “Well, kid … you had a good run.”

Yep, Carol, you certainly did.

A Celebration of Carol’s incredible life will be held later this year, date TBA.

If you’d like to do something nice in Carol’s name, consider making a donation to The National MS Society or to Hope Hospice, Cape Coral, FL.