Carolyn Portman

As they say, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” When it comes to Carolyn Minster Portman, nothing could be truer. She was a fighter, a woman with a mind of her own, and someone who moved through life with confidence and conviction no matter the challenge. In her final chapter, Carolyn fought hard to stay by her family’s side for as long as she possibly could. On Sunday, December 7, 2025, at the age of 91, Carolyn took her final breath surrounded by all three of her children — Alys Smith, Lauren Portman, and Stuart Portman and his wife, Jeanine — along with many of her beloved grandchildren. No deathbed has ever been surrounded by so much love.

But this love didn’t sprout from thin air. Anyone who knew Carolyn knows she was one of the most generous, kind, and big-hearted people around. Once, during a conversation with a grandchild, Carolyn shared her top three life lessons: “Be good to everybody and don’t worry about what they do to you, do your own thing and don’t let people sway you, and always strive to be more perfect, smarter, and nicer.” Some people live quietly on the sidelines, but Carolyn was not one of those people. Between her exciting international adventures, a lifetime of adored Broadway shows, and decades of college courses taken simply ‘for fun,’ Carolyn was full of more life, wit, and passion than many ever experience.

Carolyn was born on February 9, 1934, in Paterson, New Jersey, to parents Rose and Sidney Minster. Years later, she graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Pathology and later from Columbia University with a Master’s degree in the same field. After school, she married her beloved Irving A. Portman, with whom she shared 51 beautiful years. She began her career as a speech therapist and audiologist before dedicating herself wholeheartedly to the greatest calling of her life: raising her identical twin daughters, Alys and Lauren, and her son, Stuart. As she often said, “I loved every minute of their lives.” Nurturing and cheering on her children was her absolute pride and joy.

She is survived by her three children and her grandchildren: Payton, Devon, Halle, Justin, Ethan, and Dylan. Her family shares the sentiment from one of her favorite musicals, Wicked: “It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, so let me say before we part, so much of me is made of what I learned from you. You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart.” Her legacy lives on in the kindness she modeled, the strength she embodied, and the love she poured into everyone fortunate enough to know her.

A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, December 9, at 11:00 a.m. at Anshe Sfard Cemetery in Akron, Ohio. All are welcome to attend alongside the family.