Carol Elizabeth Vaseleski

Carol Elizabeth Vaseleski of Portage, Michigan, passed away on October 27, 2024, at age 73. Carol was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 1951, to the late William and Martha (Knisely) Cornwell. In 1987, Carol married Ron Vaseleski. The two were married for 37 years.

Carol attended Roherstown Elementary School, followed by Hempfield High School, where she was the salutatorian of the class of 1969. She attended the University of Rhode Island and received a Doctoral Degree in 1983 from the Graduate School of Oceanography. She went to work for Amoco Corporation in Chicago where she helped assess the environmental effects of the tanker Amoco Cadiz oil spill off the coast of France. After the follow-up of the spill was complete, she became a key corporate management member of the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department, where she led the development of a Compliance Review Department to audit world-wide facilities.

When Carol was younger, she enjoyed running in races and, notably, competed in the Chicago, Montreal, and Block Island marathons. Carol loved her Scottish Terriers and helped raise five of them over the years. She trained her dogs for obedience, agility, and barn hunt competitions. She started Best Friends Pet Tutoring in North Carolina to train owners to train their own dogs. She also provided free training at a local shelter for anyone who adopted a dog. She was active in Alliance of Therapy Dogs for over 20 years as she took the Scotties to visit nursing homes. She enjoyed walking the Scotties on the many parks and trails in Portage and had regular friends she would meet each day. She was hard working, compassionate, loving, and a straight shooter that strived to do the right thing each time regardless of the effort. She was a great mentor to those that she worked with and shared her experience and encouragement.

Carol is survived by her husband, Ron.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents, William and Martha Cornwell, and her brother, Bill.

Memorial contributions may be made in Carol’s honor to Ocean Conservancy.

A prayer vigil will be held Wednesday, November 6th, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Langeland Funeral Home, 3926 S 9th Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49009. A funeral mass will be held Thursday, November 7th, at Saint Catherine of Siena, 1150 West Centre Avenue, Portage, Michigan 49024. Visitation is at 10:00 am, followed by mass is 11:00 a.m. To leave an online condolence, visit https://www.langelands.com.