Carol Montrond of Providence, longtime coordinator for the Providence Journal newsroom, died today of a brain aneurysm at Miriam Hospital. She was 41.

Montrond was beloved in the Journal newsroom. A graduate of Classical High School and Katherine Gibbs, she had a wide and deep knowledge of the newsroom culture and its personalities. For many years she was the one who made travel arrangements, made sure that expense accounts were in order and served as executive secretary to the newspaper's executive editors. A resident of the city's Fox Point neighborhood, Montrond knew her native city so well that reporters often used her as a resource when researching stories. She expecially knew the city's Cape Verdean community and her East Side neighborhood.

She was one of those rare people who always went the extra mile to help out. Any reporter or photographer who traveled knew that Carol was a master of cutting through airline schedule red tape and haughty hotel clerks. "If your plane was cancelled due to fog, you only made one phone call, to Carol Montrond and she would figure out how to get you home," said Mark Arsenault, former Journal reporter. "She could get you through any bureaucratic or corporate problem."

Carol's efficiency and competence set the standard for Journal employees for many, many years. She was universally loved and respected.  Multi-tasking was second nature to Carol. She was especially close to Joel Rawson, the Journal's former executive editor, whom she served as executive assistant.

Carol Montrond was a model for a character in Arsenault's novel "Gravewriter" which was set in Providence.  Arsenault said today that she is also the inspiration for a character in another novel that he will publish this autumn.

On a personal note, I well remember an occasion several years ago when my wife, Dr. Staci Fischer, attended a CDC meeting in Atlanta. An airline mix-up threatened to keep her there an extra day. The support staff at Rhode Island Hospital couldn't figure out how to get her home. So I turned the situation over to Carol Montrond. Within 15 minutes, Carol found a flight to Green Airport for Staci and she arrived back in Rhode Island in time to do her rounds.

At the Journal, Carol Montrond knew everyone in the building at 75 Fountain Street. Somehow, she could sense who was being promoted or demoted before any official announcements. She was a wonderful friend with a sparkling sense of humor and a smile that could light up the darkest winter day.  She was an extraordinarily generous and loving person. A night on the town with Carol left her friends laughing for days. She was devoted to her family and to her incredibly wide circle of friends. She will be sorely missed for many years by her family and legion of friends and co-workers.

As veteran Journal columnist Bob Kerr said, "There was no one in this building better liked than Carol."