By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mrs. Motch

EAST WALNUT HILLS - Winifred Booker Motch, former president of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's Women's Committee and a sustaining member of the Junior League, died Sept. 15 of complications from surgery at University Hospital. The East Walnut Hills resident was 79.

Known for her joie de vivre, Mrs. Motch delved into her volunteer work with gusto.

"Mom always sang the praises of the Junior League and was forever grateful for the opportunities it gave her to meet wonderful people, make lifelong friends and become actively involved in the life of Cincinnati," said her daughter, Lisa Carothers Morganof St. Louis.

Mrs. Motch also served on the boards of the Visiting Nurse Associationand the Contemporary Arts Center and was a docent for the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Raised in Wilkes Barre, Pa., Mrs. Motch attended Pine Manor College in Boston where she met Dr. Charles Carothers, her future husband.

The couple settled in Cincinnati where Mrs. Motch put down roots and became active with civic and cultural organizations.

She played tennis and loved to ski and sail. She had a remarkable three holes-in-one over two years at the Cincinnati Country Club.

And she was an accomplished gourmet chef, delighting in recreating the cuisine she sampled over 20 years of traveling in Southern France with her second husband, Wes Love. Mrs. Motch was divorced from her first husband and preceded in death by Mr. Love in 1993.

In addition to her daughter, survivors include: her husband, Arthur E. Motch ; two sons, Thomas A. Carothers II of Hyde Park and S. Cole Carothers of Milford; a brother, Fletcher C. Booker of Palm Beach, Fla.; 10 grandchildren and nine step-grandchildren.

Services have been held. A private burial will take place at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Memorials: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; or the Baker Hunt Foundation, 620 Greenup St., Covington, KY 41011; or a charity of the donor's choice.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com