After an amazing and fulfilling life, Karol Baldwin Teiko died peacefully in her home December 18, 2019 at the age of 86. She was born in New Hampshire to Gertrude and Harold Baldwin, and grew up in New England where she helped her father run his lumber mill, rode horses, and even helped fly an airplane at the age of 12! She was raised an independent and strong woman by her parents. Karol got a strong educational foundation at the St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont. She then studied Chemistry at Middlebury College where she met and married her first love, John Vogel. They had four beautiful children: Gretchen, Erika and Jay (twins), and Karin. Karol joined the NIH as a Research Chemist. A job that was very rewarding as she was able to use her science background and contribute to making new discoveries. That position helped her to support her young children after her marriage ended in divorce in 1966. Music was always a big part of Karol's life. She learned piano at a very young age and was a singer for as long as she could remember as she was brought up in a musical family. She was very involved with the Unitarian Church in Arlington, Virginia where she sang in the church choir and as a soloist. She also sang in many Master Chorales in all of the places she lived. In 1969, she met and fell in love with Jesse Teiko, a musician who played the double bass in New York City with the Metropolitan Opera. The family moved to New York City after Karol's marriage to Jesse in 1970. Karol soon auditioned and was accepted into the women's chorus at the Metropolitan Opera and sang with them for 23 years. She was also chosen to sing various solo parts while at the Met, including an orphan in Der Rosenkavalier, a spirit in Die Frau Onhe Shatten, and a witch in Macbeth. Karol and Jesse thrived on the fast-paced lifestyle at the Met with rehearsals during the day and performances at night. After retiring from the Met, they became snowbirds; living in Spring Lake Heights, NJ in the summer and Clearwater, FL during the winter. During this time Karol explored her many interests including playing the viola, photography, art, pottery and writing. She soon discovered that her favorite passion was ballroom dancing, where she even performed in a showcase performance on her 80th birthday! She and Jesse also enjoyed traveling around the world. In 2008, tiring of the snowbird commute, Karol and Jesse settled moved to the Windcrest retirement community in Highlands Ranch, CO. There they participated in the many activities available, and made many new friends. Coming from a performance background, Karol especially liked participating in Readers Theater, as well as singing with the Littleton and Windcrest Chorales, and of course, ballroom dancing! In 2012, Karol was devastated when Jesse, her beloved husband of 43 years, passed away. She was supported by her daughters, and her many friends at the Windcrest Community, where she continued to live until 2018, at which time she moved to Northern California to be closer to her three daughters. Karol Teiko's memory will be cherished by all who knew her, especially her three daughters. She was a well-loved woman, and will be greatly missed.