Carla Lindsay Giuffrida, 75, of Beacon, died Dec. 1 at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with her two children at her side.
Carla was born in Hollywood, California, on Sept. 27, 1946, the only child of Ernest and Barbara (Bush) Faust. She was a Montessori and fiber arts teacher at the Homestead School in Glen Spey, Sullivan County, for nearly 30 years until her retirement in 2016.
Growing up, Carla and her family split time between a home in Malibu Canyon, which was built by her father, and summers living on their boat, usually docked at Catalina Island. In keeping with their belief that life is better on or near the sea, they spent most of their free time sailing or cruising in Southern California.
The Faust family loved the ocean and the islands, especially Hawaii, where they lived for a year. Carla later brought her children to visit her mother, their “Tutu,” there every year for the holidays.
After returning to the San Fernando Valley in California, where she attended high school and college, Carla met her future husband, Mauro Giuffrida, at Cal State Northridge. They were married on Sept. 9, 1967, and soon after moved to Brooklyn, where Mauro pursued his master of fine arts degree at Pratt Institute and Carla opened Coulter Studios, a yarn-and-knitting boutique in midtown Manhattan.
Carla was selfless, compassionate and a dear friend and inspiration to all she knew, her family said. A self-taught master fiber artist, she was happiest while knitting or weaving, producing the most breathtaking pieces of art.
After retirement, Carla continued to share her passion with friends and strangers, hosting weekly knitting circles and coming up with projects and learning tools for her grandchildren at each visit.
She is survived by her son, Mauro Giuffrida, her daughter, Lindsay Giuffrida, and her grandchildren: Natasha, Isabella, Liviana, Owen, Eliza and Massimo.
A celebration of life will be held at Harrison Rasmussen Funeral Home in Barryville on Thursday (Dec. 29) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., followed by interment next to her husband in the couple’s adopted hometown of Eldred. Memorial donations may be made to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (delawareriverkeeper.org) or Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood.org).
