William Carasik

01/30/2001

William Carasik, 75, of Mount Washington Road, South Egremont, died Tuesday at home. Born in Baltimore on May 8, 1925, son of Samuel and Yetta Foor Carasik, his family moved to Jacksonville, Fla., when he was 10 years old and he finished high school there. He joined the Army in 1943 and fought with the 8th Armored Division, 49th Armored Infantry Battalion, Company B in the Battle of the Bulge. He was part of the Liberation Army. After his discharge, Mr. Carasik attended Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated first in the school of chemistry. He received many honors, including election to Tau Beta Phi. He was employed in the chemical industry for many years, beginning in 1949 with the Atlantic Refining Co. in Philadelphia. At the time of his retirement in 1989, he was the director of applied technology for Novo Industries/Denmark in Danbury, Conn. He held many patents, including processes for making high fructose corn syrup. Mr. Carasik was a member of Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Pittsfield and a member emeritus of the American Chemical Society and the American Society for the Advancement of Science. He was also a member of the Capital District Humanist Society in Albany, N.Y. He maintained a lifelong commitment to issues of ethics and justice, and enjoyed designing and building things, crossword puzzles and outdoor projects. He also enjoyed the Yiddish language. His first wife, the former Gloria Simon, died in 1969. He leaves his wife, the former Marjan Schneider, whom he married June 28, 1975, in Ridgewood, N.J.; a son, Robert Carasik of San Francisco; a daughter, Gail Ryan, M.D., of Shrewsbury; a stepdaughter, Lauren Carasik of Amherst; two stepsons, Rimme St. George of Depew, N.Y., and Michael Jaffe of Queens, N.Y.; a brother, Howard Carasik of Sarasota, Fla.; a sister, Charlotte Gordon of Boynton Beach, Fla., and six grandchildren. A non-sectarian celebration of Bill's life will be held Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Ave., Pittsfield. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires, through the FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Reflections and memories may also be sent to the family at finnfh@bcn.net

Obituaries

Celebrating Lives & Legacies

William Carasik

Memorials