Carol Lou Ostroff

Carol Lou Ostroff, 74, passed peacefully on February 22, 2026, in the home she loved so deeply. On the day she died, she spoke of her gratitude for where she was and for the life she had lived, expressing a profound sense of contentment.

Carol was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mary and Charles R. Kershaw. She grew up in a family that cherished time in the garden, a passion that would shape her life and inspire all three Kershaw siblings to pursue work in horticulture.

In 1976, Carol and her beloved Gerald “Geege” Ostroff, set out for California in a bright blue GMC van, eventually making their home in Santa Barbara. They began their life there as caretakers at the Community Environmental Council (CEC), tending the gardens at the Gilde Center. When she first arrived, Carol worked as an EKG technician in the Pulmonary Department at Cottage Hospital, but she soon realized her true calling was working with plants to help and heal others.

Carol and Geege were married in 1978 while visiting family in Philadelphia, a joyful year that also saw both of her brothers married. At the CEC, Carol propagated plants, cared for the gardens, and shared her knowledge through wreath-making classes and a beloved study group known as the herb circle, where she taught about organic gardening and medicinal plant properties. She also began selling wreaths, plants, bath salts, at the Tuesday and Saturday Farmers Market. Carol’s famous salve remained in high demand and was always made with love as the final ingredient.

Carol shared a deep knowledge of native plants and their medicinal value in her arsenal of tinctures, salves, homeopathic’s, teas, and other herbal remedies and was often called to use the plants around her, believing in our intrinsic nature to heal the body through diet and what’s around you.

In 1979, her passion and skill led her to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, where she joined as a gardener. Soon after, Geege and her brother Dave also became part of the team. Eight years later, as Carol prepared to welcome her first child Ariel, the family moved into the historic Gane House in summer of 1986 on the Garden grounds. In 1988, they moved to the house below and where her second child Robin was born, which has remained the family’s special home.

Carol’s life was marked by an unwavering devotion to caring for others. While her children were in grade school she helped care for the school garden. She shared her knowledge of the healing power of plants, offered prayers, and opened her home to anyone in need. Many found comfort at her kitchen table, sitting with her over a warm cup of chai and her steady, generous presence.

Carol is survived by her husband, Geege; her children, Ariel and Robin Ostroff; her brother, Dave Kershaw; and her nieces and nephew, Tim Kershaw and Julie Smith.