Necrology

Caroline “Carol” Ruth Manlove Christ K'77

Sep. 30, 1955-May. 5, 2024

Caroline “Carol” Ruth Manlove Christ K’77 died on May 25, 2024, in Lansdale, Pa. Born in Denver on Sept. 30, 1955, Carol and her family moved when she was 4 years old to Gladwyne. She came to Kirkland from Germantown Friends School.

At Kirkland, she majored in fine art, continuing an interest acquired in high school. Under the auspices of Beaver College (now Arcadia University in Jenkintown, Pa.) she attended Sir John Cass College of Art in London (now part of London Metropolitan University) during the first semester of her junior year, taking four courses in as many artistic media. Then, in July 1976, she took a course in loom design and technique at Hartwick College. By the time of her graduation, Carol had been exposed to a wide variety of artistic focus, knowledge, and skills she would apply to her own work throughout her life. Her senior project consisted of a collection of quilts in varying designs.

After graduation she moved to Boston and worked as a production and sales assistant at the Loom Room in Newton. The following year she began work as an administrative and editorial assistant for Kelly Services, first in Boston, where, among other tasks, she prepared a professional conference publication for Harvard University. Returning to Philadelphia, she continued to work for Kelly and also part time as a legal administrative assistant for a law firm.

She also continued to quilt, exhibiting several at the Allegheny Quilt Festival in Pittsburgh and the Easter Seals Needlework Show in Cambridge, Mass. 

In 1981, Carol enrolled at Temple University to pursue a Master of Business Administration, concentrating in marketing in the belief that employment in either advertising or public relations would allow her a degree of artistic creativity as well as more job opportunities. She also worked as an editorial assistant in the university’s office of the dean. On the side, she taught non-credit classes in quilting at Temple. 

After completing her degree in August 1982, Carol moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at American University, first as a marketing analyst and later as assistant director of marketing. In 1986, during a meeting with representatives of both AU and Temple, she met Paul Christ, who was a graduate student at Temple. They clicked, and on May 16, 1987, they were married in Plymouth Township, Pa., 15 miles north of Gladwyne.

Carol left American University in 1985, returned to the Philadelphia area, and, now residing in Haddonfield, N.J., went to Melitta USA, manufacturers of coffee products. She was director of public relations, and her responsibilities included corporate, product, internal, and community relations communications for North America. She also joined the Philadelphia chapter of the American Marketing Association, serving as its vice president for programming from 1986 to 1987. The next year, she and Paul moved to Lafayette Hill, Pa.

In 1989, after having the first of four children, Carol left Melitta to devote time to her family and work closer to home, joining Elkman Advertising and Public Relations in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. She was an account supervisor reporting to the executive vice president for public relations and responsible for strategic planning, account development, program planning, and media relations. She served clients in consumer, retail, real estate management, and industrial accounts.

In 1992, Carol faced a major turning point in life: she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. That same year, her second son was born. She continued to work part time for Elkman as a communications consultant for a broad range of Fortune 100 companies, including the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, Sovereign Bank, and Mid-Atlantic Health Systems. 

She left Elkman in 1995 and thereafter pursued a freelance public relations/marketing/writing career. The flexible schedule was necessary because she gave birth to twin girls on Oct. 19 of that year. She remained actively involved in her children’s schools, helping in classrooms, publicizing the schools’ activities and accomplishments, raising funds to support programs, and serving on the Parent-Teacher Organization. 

Carol became both a donor to and an active member of the National MS Society, attending many of its events and on several occasions meeting with its president. She started with the Whitpain Township Park and Open Space committee in 2017, and until 2021 was a strong advocate for accessibility for all and, in particular, those with special needs, especially those who rely on assisted equipment to move.

Despite all of these responsibilities, Carol maintained an active, productive life as an artist, dabbling in painting, weaving, quilting, and ceramics. She also developed a family genealogy, gardened and baked, and remained a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Phillies.

By 2008, her health began to limit her freelance work efforts. It did not, however, prevent her from continuing her artistic pursuits. As quilting became more difficult, she turned her attention to painting, earning several ribbons at local Art League exhibits. In fact, until just a few days before her death, she was working in what became her final medium: cutting and pasting pieces of paper to form images. 

As Carol noted in her 25th reunion yearbook: “Fond memories of Kirkland range from fall bike rides and apple cider to slogging through the snow, building snow sculptures and sledding to beautiful springs. Academically, I recall insightful literature, religion, and sociology classes, and many hours spent on art in the friendly studios and on suite floors. The senior project remains the important culminating project finished with the support of wonderful professors.”

Carol Manlove Christ is survived by her husband, two sons, and two daughters.

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