Carol Ann Trimble Nordheimer
January 6, 1939-February 15, 2021
Carol Ann Nordheimer, 82, community leader, professional woman, and fierce advocate for progressive politics and minority businesses, died on February 15, 2021 after a lengthy illness. Born on January 6, 1939 in Port Arthur, Texas, to Vance Henry and Elzene Miller Trimble. She grew up in Houston, and moved to the DC area in her senior year in high school, graduating from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, where she was the editor of the school paper. Carol Ann earned a BA in journalism from University of Pennsylvania. She was the editor of Penn's student newspaper, president of her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and the women's Student Body President. She went on to earn a Masters in Communications from Penn's new Annenberg School of Communications. Her career was characterized by breaking new ground and fearlessness. During the height of the Civil Rights movement, she worked for a pioneering political pollster, going door to door in the South asking questions about race. Carol Ann was one of two original staff of the University City Science Center at Penn. She was the founding Director of New Jobs for Philadelphia, supporting minority-owned businesses. For Fox Chase Cancer Center, she lobbied for Pennsylvania's penny-a-pack cigarette tax to fund cancer research. She was the first woman salesperson hired at a Philadelphia Pontiac dealership and earned the "Salesman of the Month" award so often, they changed the rules. Carol Ann cared deeply about social justice, and she relished both the drama and the detail of electoral politics. She held leadership roles in many campaigns, including for Pennsylvania State Senator Hardy Williams; U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman; PA Sen. John Heinz; Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode, under whom she also served as Assistant Managing Director for the City; Wilmington City Councilor Maria Cabrera; and DE State Rep. Deborah Heffernan. She also supported numerous other candidates and campaigns as staff, fundraising host, and advisor, and she mentored many first-time candidates, especially women. She served on the board of directors of the Forum of Executive Women, Philadelphia and co-founded and later served as President for the Wilmington Forum of Executive Women. She served a Commissioner of the Delaware Commission of Women for many years thereafter. She was a Founder of the Delaware Fund for Women. She was the ultimate business matchmaker, connecting countless numbers of individuals, organizations, and opportunities. In 1994, she opened her own firm, MarketTech Associates, Inc., which focused on helping small businesses grow and on political campaigns, providing support for both young and established business clients, and strategic planning for various public sector programs aimed at minority-owned business in Delaware. Carol Ann was a past President of the Caesar Rodney Rotary Club. She became the first woman District Governor for her district. With her husband Ron, she produced and hosted a Rotary-themed radio interview show called Pathways to Service. Carol Ann had a passion for connecting people throughout her life. Her commitment to friends and family ran deep. She loved introducing her friends from the wide diaspora of her many experiences. She was brilliant at growing and maintaining these rich connections. She and Ron were a couple by the time his three teenaged children moved in with him in 1974. She took it all in stride and quickly established her welcomed place in our family. She would visit us in Delaware and their weekend dates became 21 loads of laundry. By the time they got married, Carol Ann was already deeply a part of us, and we three "kids" had become central to her heart and life. Carol Ann loved Miracle Whip, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream and she put pepper on nearly everything. She could type well over 100wpm and was a voracious reader, rarely taking longer than a day to finish a book. She was brilliant, tall and kind and loved a good laugh and an old story. She was helpful and whip-smart and truly a gift to all of us. Carol Ann was predeceased by her mother, Elzene Trimble. She is survived by her 107-year-old father, Vance Trimble; her husband of 43 years, Ronald Nordheimer; her stepchildren; Diane Nordheimer (Dennis Wayland) of Spring, TX, and their son Kyle Wayland; David Nordheimer (Denise) of Wilmington, DE and their daughter, Lily; and Rex Nordheimer (Nancy) of Monroeville, PA and their daughter, Melissa; niece, Jill Weisenfeld of Philadelphia; nephew Neil Weisenfeld, (Sadaf) and their daughter Samara of Boston, MA. A burial was held February 19 at the Woodlands Cemetery, in Philadelphia, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that you contribute to the Delaware Fund for Women, the Caesar Rodney Rotary Foundation, or the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center or any organization supporting civil rights or reproductive justice. Carol Ann would love it if you would also cause some of what John Lewis called "good trouble," and think of her.
Posted online on March 12, 2021
Published in The News Journal
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