(Pins2006) Carmen Perrotta

News has come to us early this morning (June 30, 2007) that our dear friend, Carmen Perrotta, best known to us as Pins2006 has gone home to Gloryland on Friday, June 29th. Her fight with cancer is over and she is sitting at the right hand of our Lord and Father.

Carmen Kellar Perrotta, 56, of Decatur died June 29, 2007. Her funeral Mass will be Tuesday, July 3rd at 11 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Bill Head Funeral Home Lilburn/Tucker Chapel is in charge of arrangements. 770-564-2726

There will be a memorial for Carmen in her garden, Tuesday, July 3rd 2007 at 5:30 pm.
2973 Country Squire Lane, Decatur, GA 30033

The Perrotta family can be reached at the same mailing address.

Carmen listed as her favorite websites, The Georgia Gardener, Georgia Native Plant Society, and The Girl Scouts USA. She had a great love in native plants of Georgia and studied them extensively. Her and husband Jim had recently opened up their own business, Green Light Advisors and she listed that as her home page.

I came to know Carmen through the prayer requests forum and she was unfailing in her prayers for so many, her concern was not in herself, but in others. She loved to comment on the Recipes forum as well and we would discuss many things on there.

She will be missed by so many that held her in high regard and loved her here at Dave's Garden. My prayers are with her family at this time.

In Christ's Love,
Kathy
MistyMeadows

Carmen is the one with what appears to be a "flag" sweater on, she must have been one colorful lady. :)


This message was edited Jul 2, 2007 10:30 PM

Carmen was so helpful and so friendly. She will be sorely missed by those that knew her. My sincere sympathy to her family.

Arlene/pirl

I did not know Carmen, but any time a Dave's member dies, we lose a family member. May she be remembered in fondness by all on DG. We know, if she was a member of Dave's family, she is in heaven!

Carmen was one of the first people I traded with here at DG. She will be greatly missed. My heartfelt sympathies go out to her family and friends.

Oh, Lord, i thought i was out of tears, but apparently not so.

I loved Carmen although we only met a couple of times in person. I have never met anyone else so open, so friendly and so compassionate, and all this was after her first bout of cancer.

i feel as if i have lost a beloved sister although i expect to see her again.

So terribly sorry for all her family and friends that the battle was lost.

True Friends are not forgotten. They live within your heart.

She was excited about starting her business and talked about the future. She was a forward-looking lady. We're so sorry to lose this sweetheart of a woman. Our love to Jim and the rest of her family. (((hugs)))

She was a sweet person who never seemed to worry about herself and was always participating in our co-ops with great happiness and dreaming of her garden of the future being so pretty. Her family will always be in my prayers. She will be dearly missed here at DG by so many of us.

Hugs for all who loved her.

Carmen, the bravest woman I have ever known. Being so loving and compassionate, I feel deeply for her family who must feel her loss greatly, and all the friends she leaves behind. I think she gave us all something precious, her lovely spirit, I shall miss her.

Beside sharing plants, I was blessed with her friendship at a time when I need it most. I was unemployed for the first time in my life, she gave me her strength and her friendship, and I was able to help her with her dream of freedom. Her new business; she had the knowledge of her business and I had the time to create her website, business cards and stationary. We had so much fun, and she was so hopeful for the new beginning in her life. She was a very smart and savy businesswoman, I was so proud of her when she launched her business!

This is the Carmen Perrotta many do not know:

"Carmen Perrotta is president of Greenlight Advisors, LLC. She and her team of utility rate specialists bring their extensive experience in commercial utilities and energy cost management to companies throughout the United States. Ms. Perrotta’s expertise comes from 16 years of working with clients to ensure they are paying the lowest amount possible on their utility bills, while maintaining a good relationship with their utility providers. Her extensive knowledge of the industry and her ability to thoroughly analyze and look at each client’s situation, allows Greenlight Advisors to provide customized solutions, with no risk to the clients. She has worked with several utility companies in designing “customer sponsored rates” or new rates for her clients.
The Greenlight Advisors offers a total energy management package including consulting, management, implementation and rate negotiation, addressing all present and future problems with overfilling. Greenlight Advisors also conducts extensive contract compliance audits regarding utilities, solid waste, and leases.

Greenlight Advisors is an Atlanta Certified Female Owned Business. Ms. Perrotta is an active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and its CEO Round Table. Greenlight Advisors is an affiliate member of the Atlanta Apartment Association."

Forgive me for going on, I dearly loved and cherished her as a friend, tho we lost touch the last few months. It is nice to see the other gifts a person has, she had and gave plenty to us all.

A favorite time, Carmen was a proud Italian and was so excited to visit the Italian Garden at the Garden Show last year, I had to take a photo.

I have never met her, but she touched me through her beautiful spirit on the prayer forum. I'm sending my prayers to her family today. May they find peace and comfort knowing that she was loved by so many here at DG.

I posted these pictures over on the GA forum but will post them again here on her memory thread.

This is a picture of my hosta with her ginger lilly in the background.

Here's a close up of the ginger lilly. It will always be special, because it came from her garden.

Carmen was a true DGer in the best sense of the word. She was funny, kind, enthusiastic, and giving. She loved her plants, but she loved the company of fellow gardeners even more.

I was away all weekend at the lake and I thought of Carmen while I was there. Not only did she send us gardeners much needed rain all over the state of GA, she sent the most beautiful double rainbow on the evening of July 1rst on Lake Lanier. It was the first time my husband and children ever saw one and it was certainly the first time and quite possibly the last time we saw one as a family. It was magical. I thought of her when I saw it and wondered where she was. Now I know she was behind the rainbow.
:)

I am sad to see you go so soon Carmen. God Bless you and your family.

Susan

Thinking of you Carmen

Oh Carmen, tears and words are not enough. I'm going to plant something special in my garden in remembrance of you. Now you have the very best vantage point ever to oversee all of our gardening efforts.

She is surely gardening in heaven with the other garden angels.
Elaine

I have some beautiful daylilies blooming today in my garden that sweet Carmen sent me - I love them especially now!
I am a better person for having known her and I'm so touched to see that you all loved her, too.
Thank you for bringing such joy to us all, Carmen.

I'm so sorry I never met Carmen, she seems to have been such a wonderful person ! She was a friend of ours on DG and I want to express my sympathy and condoleances to the family . I'll be keeping her in my prayers.
Adina

i only knew her from daves garden but she was a remarkable woman. i have been gone for a few days. my prayers go out to her family.

I'll never forget the last time I saw Carmen. It was at the roundup at Jonesboro and she was standing off to her self at the end of the parking lot. I went by her going inside to use the bathroom and stopped to chat with her. As I looked at her she had tears rolling down her cheeks. I asked if she was alright and she smiled and said she was. I don't think she was crying for her self but knowing that she wouldn't be at the next roundup and was crying for all her friends that she loved so much. She was a great friend and will be missed by so many.

What a loss to all of us.

I spoke with Carmen years ago before her first surgery and have kept up with her ever since. She was a vibrant, caring person and genuinely interested in others.

I can't add anything to what everyone has already said about Carmen. It is a true blessing that she was able to look forward to the future of her business, as well as her gardening, up to the end of her time here. I miss knowing that I can punch in her phone number and hear her clear, strong voice at the other end of the line. She was a joy to talk with.

Cathy

A wonderful shot of Carmen from one of the roundups. We think we need to remember her just like this.

DavesGarden attended the memorial, represented by (l-r) violabird, ecobioangie and farmerpickle. It was a wonderful gathering of so many friends and family, a true celebration of her life.

I promised to copy these threads to send to the family and would appreciate any tips--the prayer forum is a long one.

Though I never met Carmen in person, I felt like I knew her very well. She d-mailed me when I was trying to quit smoking and gave me alot of support. I cherish the friendship I had with Carmen and will never forget what a wonderful thoughtful person she was. God bless you Carmen.

I have been here only a year and I remember Carmen as the first real prayer request that I couldn`t get out of my head. I sat in awe when I read the posts, most of the time she was planning her career moves and asking for prayer for that and mainly laughing and joking about red flip flops that became this big long running joke about underwear thongs, and everyone deciding that in support of Carmen
they would wear them, but on their heads.

She was such a huge spirit, I can not imagine how her family is holding up with that large presence missing, daily. I pray for you all still and hope you will always remember when you hear laughter, your Carmen would want you to laugh too. I loved that about her. God must have really rejoyced when She came home.

Sincere sympathy and sadness,
Dawn

I am sorry to hear of the passing of Carmen. She was a wonderful person, and I only wish I could have met her in person. God Bless you Carmen.

Patti

Carmen was by best friend since kindergarten. Even though she moved away in third grade, we still remained best friends all thru our lives. She got me started on Dave's Garden even though I don't post much. I have gone to several plant swaps with her. When we were kids we rode our bikes, played hide and seek, cut our hands and became blood sisters, spent the night with each other and discussed all our secrets. We double dated in high school, went to concerts together. My daughter was born on Carmen's birthday and when I woke up in the recovery room, I saw not my husband, but Carmen. She told me I had a daughter. Not too long ago she had attended my daughters wedding and I had attended her son's wedding. She just became a grandmother. Her son had a daughter named Lillian Grace. Carmen saw the baby on Saturday before she went to the hospital and then again on Sunday when she was in the hospital. Carmen stayed at Emory from Sunday until Tuesday. She could not talk much but knew we were there. On Tuesday she was moved to a Hospice, when the scan came back that her liver was full of Cancer. Her friends and family stayed around her at the Hospice. I could tell by looking into her eyes that she knew we were there. We played Elvis songs for her. She died early Friday morning. I miss her terribly. Not a day goes by that I do not think of her. The church ceremony was elegant and beautiful, definitely Carmen. She was buried at Arlington in Sandy Springs. The Celebration of Life in her garden Tuesday night was exactly what Carmen would have wanted. I know she was looking down on us and smiling.

Now I`m crying over her again. I`m glad she had such a good friend like you Patti.
Dawn

What a lovely tribute to Carmen. Such a beautiful heart warming post. Thanks.

Very touching, how lucky you both are to have had that wonderful friendship throughout the years. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for your lovely post, Fairydancer. I'm so glad that you lived so lose to each other that you saw so much of each other regularly. And what a blessing for Carmen that she could see you and love you to the end. I know the loss you are carrying is great, but be encouraged......you will be together again, forever.

We miss Carmen dearly and will think of her always.

"No one is born a lady but to die as one is an accomplishment".

Carmen was a lady!

Dear Carmen,

You are in the arms of Jesus and may your family feel the peace of our Lord in their hearts. Thank you for your friendship. I will miss you.

love and hugs...vic

In celebration of your "BirthDay", you are dear to those of us who knew you.

Judy

Thinking of you on this special day, Carmen.

You'll remain in our hearts and in our gardens. Miss you!

Arlene

Your beautiful spirit is still alive in my garden. I call my butterfly ginger my " Carmen lily" :)
~Susan

Such a wonderful tribute to a gardener I didn't get a chance to know. She must have been a special person.
Elaine