Nelly Juri Carbonell was born to Ángela Passarello Juri and Pedro Juri on September 2, 1928 in Montevideo, Uruguay. She passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones in Concord on April 20, at 94 years of age.
Nelly was a lover of life and a great intellectual, fluent in five languages. In Uruguay, both she and her husband, Jaime R. Carbonell, had won awards for excellence in their studies and traveled throughout Europe while on an educational grant based in Paris. They later immigrated to the Boston Area in 1963 where Jaime continued his studies on a scholarship from MIT. In Uruguay, Nelly had studied law but changed careers after immigrating to the U.S. She turned to literature and teaching, earned a Master of Arts, and became a Spanish teacher at Boston University, Tufts and eventually at Concord-Carlisle High School where she taught from 1969 until her retirement in 1994. Much beloved by students and colleagues, at Concord-Carlisle, she became chair of the Foreign Language Department and was recognized by the Massachusetts Teachers Association as Spanish Teacher of the Year.
In 1973, Jaime died suddenly, and Nelly, at 44, became the sole parent of their five children. Nelly persevered to support her children and put them all through college. In addition to teaching, she worked as a businesswoman in real estate investments. She adored Uruguay but also developed a love for the culture and people of the Boston area, particularly Concord, where she made many friends.
Nelly appreciated the arts — music, literature, paintings — and loved to travel. She took her students to Spain several times and, post-retirement, continued exploring the world. Nelly always had a book on hand and loved reciting long passages from Spanish-language classics. She read voraciously in English as well.
She loved animals, naming her fellow forest creatures (adding -ito or -ita to the end of each name) and, throughout her life, was a parent to many dogs and cats. She was passionate about tennis and card games. She played tennis well into her seventies. In her nineties, she organized a weekly card game, teaching fellow nonagenarians new games. One of her biggest loves was food (particularly Manchego cheese alongside a glass of vinito), which she most enjoyed when sharing with others.
Nelly was pre-deceased by her husband, Jaime; daughter, Dina; and son, Jaime (Guillermo). She is survived by her three children: Miguel, Ana María (Ía), Pablo, and their partners. She also leaves behind many grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Ruben, Rachel, Diana, Isabelle, Michael, Bryan, Nicolas, Mikael, Mateo, Charlie, Benjamin, Teo, Audrey, and Maya.
Nelly (Mama and Nona) will be remembered as a resourceful, brilliant woman with boundless energy and a deep passion for life.
Family and friends will gather at a later time for a celebration of her incredible life.Donations in Nelly’s memory may be made to The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle at www.thescholarshipfundofcc.org or by mail to 34 Walden St., Unit 217, Concord, MA, 01742.
