It’s never easy when a close-knit community loses one of their biggest hearts. Unfortunately, the East Cobb community will be mourning the loss of a supportive staple. Bagelicious co-owner Carol Carola passed away on January 23rd at the age of 68 after a long battle with breast cancer. Lovingly known as the “Bagel Queen of East Cobb”, she became a well-known figure through her kindness and support for local businesses and organizations. Her kind heart and giving personality garnered many strong bonds and friendships throughout the community.
“My mother was a very caring person,” said Hannah Dombrowski, Carol’s 37-year-old daughter. “Her table was always surrounded by friends: local officers from the East Cobb Police Department, rabbis from area synagogues, my brothers, and my friends. No one was a stranger.”
Born in Queens, the New York native brought her knowledge of the city’s bagel scene to Atlanta in 1983. She and her husband, Tommy, quickly married before opening Bagelicious in 1990 and working side-by-side as co-owners. Treating her regular customers like family, she became a vital member of the community through her work with various grassroots organizations.
“My mother loved to help the local community and donated to dozens of neighborhood swim teams, baseball teams, and other local organizations,” Dombrowski said. “On any given weekend local Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and other local booster clubs can be found promoting their various fundraisers outside of Bagelicious.”
In January 2013, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Carola vigilantly began her chemotherapy after losing her mother to the disease. Being a patient herself, she was a proud supporter of Team Boobulahs and hosted a pink bagel event to support The Journey, a two day cancer walk. Unfortunately, the disease reappeared in 2021 after a long battle and affected her stomach, esophagus, and colon.
“She was a warrior like no other in her fight with breast cancer,” Dombrowski said. “She cared for her friends and family deeply…even when she was going through her own hell, if you needed her, she was there.”
She is survived by her husband and daughter along with her son Alex George Carola, grandchildren Landon and Jaxon Dombrowski, and siblings Roslyn and Alan Barkoff, Maureen Levy, and Melvin and Donna Meyer. Carol will be greatly missed, but her lasting impact within the community will be forever present.
