Carol Louise Niehaus

Carol Louise Niehaus passed away peacefully on April 25, 2025, at the age of 71 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and sister. Born October 18, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was raised and lived most of her life in Cincinnati, which she would often remind her daughter was the "Queen" city, after all.

Carol taught for over 30 years at Cincinnati Public Schools as a Montessori age 3-6 teacher, first at Carson Montessori and then at Dater Montessori, from which she retired in 2023. She found her work meaningful and took great pride in the success of her students and classroom. Perhaps one of her greatest legacies is the hundreds of children that she lovingly and patiently prepared for the first grade. She formed close connections with many of her colleagues at Carson and Dater and valued those relationships even after retirement.

Outside of work and in retirement, Carol was passionate about exercise and the outdoors. She walked often near her home in Hyde Park and always noticed and appreciated the trees and flowers in the neighborhood. She had a love of hiking and for many years enjoyed weekend treks at the Cincinnati Nature Center. She taught her daughter the names and sun preferences of all the annuals that they planted in their yard each year, and always had a suggestion when plants weren't living up to their potential. Even in the last weeks of her life, when she was feeling unwell, she enjoyed sitting at Ault Park, appreciating the spring flowering trees. Feeling a nice breeze was a source of joy and comfort. Carol was also a voracious reader, especially in retirement, and left a large pile of novels behind for her family to sort through.

Carol is survived by her daughter, Margaret (Andrew) Fuchs and her beloved grandchildren Henry and Madeline (who called her Cece). Being a mother was Carol's greatest joy, and she became a loving and enthusiastic grandmother. Cece always arrived for visits with a bag full of surprises, often materials from her classroom or special books & crafts perfectly selected for the kids' ages and interests. Her warmth and love for Henry and Madeline will live on in the memory of the joy she exhibited with them. Carol is also survived by her sisters Lois A. (nee Niehaus) Swisher (Bill) and Andrea M. (nee Niehaus) Barnes (Clifton), as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her father Robert W. Niehaus, M.D., her mother Mildred Murphy Niehaus, and her brother Robert W. Niehaus, Jr.

Despite being a life-long non-smoker, Carol was tragically diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in 2022, just a few weeks after the birth of her granddaughter. It was a shocking, unfair diagnosis for a person who had prioritized health her entire life. Carol tackled this diagnosis with courage and fought her illness as long as she was able. As Carol learned about the prevalence of lung cancer in patients who have never smoked, she became a fierce advocate for routine lung cancer screening in non-smokers (a position that medical societies have not yet adopted but are discussing). She ardently hoped that the information gained from her diagnosis would lead to medical advances for future patients. May it be so.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 5-7 PM at Evans Funeral Home in Milford, Ohio. Funeral service will occur at the same location on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 10 AM. She will be laid to rest at Gate of Heaven cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society.