Valerie Carey

Valerie B. Scho Carey, age 73, of Ann Arbor, Michigan passed peacefully at home surrounded by family on Sunday, June 11, 2023. Valerie was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother; a professional author and editor; an active advocate for humanitarian, environmental, and animal issues; a skilled gardener with vast knowledge of botany; a dedicated participant in the world of dog sports; a self-taught ornithologist; and a lover of books, music, world languages, and travel. As an avid, lifelong learner and teacher, Valerie devoured books and volunteered at a myriad of educational institutions. She was a dear friend to many and inspired the people around her with her dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and her firm belief that each of us can make a difference. Valerie left her mark on the world of children’s literature and earned multiple prestigious awards for her writing. Over the years, she volunteered in children’s hospitals, schools, and retirement homes with her therapy dogs. Valerie never tired of investigating and expanding ideas, stretching imaginations, striking up conversations, and befriending those around her.

Valerie was born August 6, 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the eldest child of Ira Cass Scho and Zelda (Markovitz) Scho. Before Valerie and her sister Gail entered elementary school, the family moved to Flint, Michigan. A talented student, Valerie graduated with high distinction honors from Northwestern Community High School in 1967. She attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with high distinction in history (1971) and a Master of Arts in Eastern European and Russian history with a minor in cultural anthropology and museum practice (1973). She was awarded the National Defense Foreign Language Fellowship and Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship while attending the University of Michigan.

Valerie married her loving and devoted husband, Brent L. Carey DDS., on August 6, 1972 in Flint, Michigan. Shortly after college graduation, they relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan and later to Ann Arbor, Michigan where they raised their three children: Kimberly (BS, BFA, CPDT), Allison (BS, MPH, DDS), and Jeffrey (BSE, BMA, PhD, VMD).

Valerie's love of folklore and storytelling grew from early childhood alongside her fascination with history; these elements are reflected in most of her written work. Among her many publications of prose, poetry, and essays are her beautiful and lyrical children's books, which she began to publish after her youngest child was born. Among these works are: Harriet and William and the Terrible Creature (1985, originally published in the United States, also published in England, later translated for publication in France, and named a Children’s Book of the Year by a joint committee of the Children’s Book Council and International Reading Association); The Devil and Mother Crump (1987, a Parents Choice Gold Award winner, named among Children’s Choices by the International Reading Association and Children’s Book Council, and winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award); Quail Song: A Pueblo Indian Folktale (1990); Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast (1992); and Tsugele’s Broom (1993, named an American Library Association Notable Book).

In addition to developing her own writing, Valerie held long-time editing positions for the University of Michigan, including the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies and the Clements Library, Scholars International Publishing, and Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research for the Neurochemistry Department. Ever active as a writer, Valerie spent countless hours dedicated to lobbying for human rights and the environment, using her writing voice to compose countless letters of concern. Some of her dearest causes lay with Amnesty International, the National Wildlife Federation, and the National Audubon Society.

Valerie found great peace and joy in the botanical world around her, from the smallest lichen and moss to the most magnificent tree or rare bloom. Her botanical knowledge was profound and immense. She was an avid gardener with a deep love of everything flora and fauna. Valerie shared her knowledge of botany tirelessly. She volunteered for many years as a docent and a researcher for the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens. There, she designed educational programs and led tours for school children and adults on a wide range of botanical topics. Just a few weeks ago, despite her failing condition, Valerie roused her inner strength to make one more visit to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, where she took in the beauty of the Conservatory that she long admired and knew so well.

The gardens were not Valerie’s only volunteer passion. She was a music lover and combined her interest in music, culture, and history to volunteer for years as a docent for the University of Michigan’s Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments. Valerie assisted in research and curation at the Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor, the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the Walker Tavern Museum in Cambridge Township. Valerie also enjoyed volunteering her time for various botanical and nature preservation groups. She was an active bird watcher and regularly participated in local annual bird counts and the Cornell Project FeederWatch Migratory Bird Program. Numerous injured songbirds and waterfowl found a second chance when picked up by her loving hands for rehabilitation or rescue.

Valerie volunteered countless hours giving to others by visiting local children’s hospitals and senior assisted living and memory care wards with her trained and certified Therapy Dogs, Mia and Reid. She also made visits to local elementary schools with Reid, where he served as a certified Reading Dog for struggling readers. Valerie volunteered at Washtenaw Literacy as a mentor and taught English as a second language to non-native speakers. Valerie was a strong advocate for the importance of reading and education for all. In her own home, Valerie read aloud to her children from birth and, more recently, to her grandson, Jason, who says no one can match the expressiveness with which his beloved “Bubbe” read each unique character. Valerie was an active member of several book clubs, writing groups, and reading groups. Although in-person meetings became more challenging during the COVID pandemic and her illness, she remained in touch with her literary friends and supported their work.

Valerie’s interest in dogs and dog training was cultured since the time she was a young girl growing up with multiple dogs as family pets. While in college, she adopted Socrates, a hound mix that inspired in her a deep fascination with the cognitive abilities of dogs. Since that time, Valerie enjoyed training her other dogs: Mia, a Dalmatian with whom she did volunteer therapy work and Reid, with whom she volunteered and pursued competition sports such as obedience, rally, agility. Valerie was an active member of several local and national dog clubs including the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club, the Dalmatian Club of Greater Detroit, the Dalmatian Club of America, and Therapy Dogs International. Valerie found great enjoyment in training and competing with Reid, and together they qualified for multiple obedience and rally invitational events. Even as her health waned, Valerie continued to find the determination and strength to pursue training and competition with Reid, including qualifying for the AKC Rally National Championships at the Master level in 2021.

When not training, gardening, or reading, Valerie liked to travel. She especially enjoyed visiting national and state parklands—Acadia National Park in Maine being a perennial favorite—and walking any natural trail where she could indulge in botanizing and bird watching. She traveled around the United States and Canada multiple times, preferring road tips to make stops at national parks and historic sights along the way. She also soaked in history and culture, traveling several times to Europe and parts of Asia. Valerie reveled in learning about different cultures, music, and especially history. Even up to her final days, Valerie never stopped listening to music, learning, and reading.

Valerie was a dedicated mother, passionate about playing an active role in her family and making friends wherever she went. She was a careful, thoughtful listener and could converse on a wide range of subjects with insight and ease, so that people found enjoyment, friendship, and trust with her. She was a dedicated member of Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor and took great comfort in her faith. When diagnosed with cancer in 2018, she remained dedicated to her work, family, and friends. Valerie remained a caring, strong, brave, determined, and idealistic woman throughout her final months.

Valerie is survived by her husband, Brent Carey; her children Kimberly Carey, Allison Carey, and Jeffrey (Michael) Carey; her grandson Jason; and her sister Gail Scho.

Valerie is preceded in death by her father, Ira Cass Scho, and her mother, Zelda (Markovitz) Scho.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful wife, mother, and grandmother. A funeral service will take place on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor, Michigan at 10:00 am Eastern Time. A Zoom link will be available for those unable to attend in person.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donation gifts in Valerie's memory be made to:

• American Cancer Society - donate.cancer.org

• Canine Health Foundation - akcchf.org

• Humane Society of Huron Valley - www.hshv.org