Laura A. Carey

Laura A. Carey passed away on March 8, 2020, at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, NY. Her heart-mate, Deborah Whitman, was by her side. Laura’s battle with cancer is only a small chapter of the beautiful life she lived. She inspired all those who knew her in her 61 years.

Born in Yonkers, NY, on April 7, 1958, Laura was the daughter of John and Lorraine (Stephens) Carey. Following her high school education, she earned a degree from the SUNY School of Environmental Science and Forestry. She then worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at Rogers Center in Sherburne from 1980 to 2010. Due to the state’s fiscal situation, her career ended when the state removed the education staff at Rogers.

Laura found great satisfaction in her long tenure as the New York State Coordinator for Project WILD, and was thrilled to be awarded 2007 Project Wild Coordinator of the Year for her outstanding management of the program. She developed the strong facilitator network the Department of Environmental Conservation currently enjoys and was instrumental in training pre-service educators in WILD. This enabled them to enter their teaching careers with a well-researched, science-based curriculum guide where students are active, involved learners.

For 32 years, Laura shared her love of nature, spiritual studies, friends, and family with Deborah Whitman. Together on the acreage around their home they built trails, preserved nature, and inspired others to do the same for this beautiful world. Further to this end, Laura founded “Touched by the Earth,” a retreat center designed to foster healing of our Earth and all of the Earth Community by gathering together in peace, ceremony, and prayer. She also loved constructing yurts, canoeing, birding, and hiking.

Laura leaves behind her partner, Deborah Whitman, her mother, Lorraine Carey, her brother, John, her brother, Mark and his wife, Diane, and her brother, Matt, and his partner, Stephanie. She was predeceased by her father, John Carey, in 2016.

Laura leaves this world a better place for all those who were fortunate enough to have been touched by her loving, generous spirit. Those wishing to make a contribution in her memory may be made by visiting www.treesisters.org.

Sometime over the summer, a “Celebration of Laura’s Life” will take place at the Rogers Environmental Education Center north of Norwich. Laura’s friends and family will be using the outdoor classroom which overlooks the lagoon. We will sit in a circle and share stories of our times with Laura, enjoy refreshments, and listen to the birds and peepers. We will walk the trails where she worked for 31 years, in the nature that nurtured her soul.