Carolyn Ray Berlind (nee Gross) 68, on June 20, 2009, in her sleep, at her beloved home in Pound Ridge, NY. Carolyn was born Sept 4, 1940 in Dallas, Texas, to Ann and Irvin Gross. The family soon moved to Glencoe, Ill and then to White Plains, NY where Carolyn and her sister Barbara were raised. Carolyn attended University of Michigan for three years, and subsequently graduated with honors from Hofstra University. In 1961 she and Jeffrey Berlind were married, and in 1975 they moved to Dix Hills, NY where Carolyn soon co-founded a retail business in Huntington, NY (Peticular Pet) that allowed her to work with exotic animals, one of her great passions.The business flourished, and was sold years later. In 1994 they moved to Pound Ridge, at which time Carolyn did pro bono consulting for a retail shop at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. Carolyn's life was marked by an intense interest in animals and flowering gardens, which she created in abundance at her home in Pound Ridge. Despite serious illnesses, she was a very involved grandmother and planned events with zeal and perfection, only slowing the pace as declining health dictated. She was a fighter extraordinaire, and valiantly fought several diseases, including the chronic pain inducing 'small fiber neuropathy,' emphysema and heart disease, to the end. Carolyn is survived by her husband Jeff, sons Chnoo, David and his wife Ayesha, sister Barbara, and five grandchildren, whom she loved with all her heart: Devon, Samantha, Stephan, Natalya and Shasha. Her laughter, smile, wisdom, spirited way and love lives on in all our hearts.