Carrie Rozelle, who founded the National Center for Learning Disabilities, died on Monday, October 29 in her Rancho Santa Fe, California home. She was 70 years old.
The widow of NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Mrs. Rozelle continued to live in the San Diego area after her husband died in 1996.
Several of her four children suffered from learning disabilities which prompted her to found the National Center for Learning Disabilities in New York in 1977 to promote education and develop skills for families with learning-disabled children.
“She was really a visionary in this field,” James Wendorf, the center's executive director, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “She knew parents needed help and figured out a way to help them.”
Mrs. Rozelle is survived by her daughter, Jeanne MacEachern of Santa Clarita; sons, Ralph K. Cooke of Lexington, Ky., and Philip Kent Cooke of Tiburon; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service was held Friday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Del Mar. An additional memorial service is expected to be held in New York later this month.
The family suggested that donations be made to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, 381 Park Ave. S., Suite 1401, New York, NY 10016; or the Santa Monica Wellness Center, 1137 Second St., Santa Monica, CA 90403.