Carol Jeanette Hanson

I've been thinking about this post in my head for the past 2 days. I don't know where to start and worse yet, I don't know where to end.

Carol is my Dad's sister. My family lived with Carol up until I was in kindergarten and then again after I went to college. A couple years after I graduated college, Carol fell at home and broke her hip. She continued to live with Mom and Dad for a few years after that, and then around 2004 Carol went to live in the nursing home. She had been dealing with Parkinson's for years and pneumonia episodes off and on. This last one had been more difficult for her, but when I saw her about 2 weeks ago she said she felt pretty good - no pain, just more difficult to swallow.

I heard from my sister, Denise, yesterday after I dropped Katie at school. The staff at the nursing home didn't think Carol had much longer left and were notifying the family so that they could come to the home. I think it took me 30 seconds to decide that I was heading to Waukon as well. I threw some things into a bag and got Katie back out of school.

Unfortunately, Carol passed away before I could get back. Now, do I tell you about the drive, the phone calls, being able to see Carol again? OR do I tell you about how I was going 80+ miles an hour on the highway as great big trucks with signs that read "WIDE LOAD" pulled out in front of me almost on purpose, and as I am cursing the driver's judgement, we meet an oncoming cop car. This happened twice. :)

Or I could tell you how difficult it was to see Carol once I got to the home. And just as the knots are tightening in my stomach I hear there's a dog in the hallway. A dog belonging to my Godmother - an aunt on my Mom's side. It was the cutest, sweetest little thing - and oh yeah, the dog's name? Angel.

I don't think I could put into words how important Carol has been in my life - I'll try, but everything I type doesn't seem to do her justice. I'm the youngest in the family by 9 years. So by the time I was old enough to remember spending time with Carol - my brother and sisters had grown up and created lives of their own. We seem to have our own memories of Carol - some the same, some different. I remember reading with Carol nonstop. Since she had been a school teacher for so many years she had the PERFECT supplies to play school - which we did EVERYDAY. Every summer until I was around 11 was spent with Carol. She picked me up every Sunday for church and Sunday school. She took me to swimming lessons...and then home again after I ran out crying one day never to return to lessons. :) (Meanie coach)

Carol took me to softball practice everyday for 3 weeks when I was like 9, and wore THE BIGGEST, most funny looking sun hats I'd ever seen. :) Her grapevine was legendary - she was known to yell at ANY child who dare mess with it. Usually it was those darn Quillin boys. :)

And I didn't even tell you about the swingset yet! Carol was the best person to swing with. She didn't seem to care if the plastic seat literally cut into her hips. There was a poem we would always recite as we swung. About a year ago I was trying to remember it and couldn't even come close, as soon as I mentioned it to Carol she knew just what I was talking about and recited it perfectly.

If I had a spoon as tall as the sky

I'd scoop up the clouds as they floated on by.

I'd take them inside and set them to cook,

And see if they tasted as good as they look.

But see - I haven't even scraped the surface yet. I didn't mention her cookies, her garden, the times I talked her into taking me to the county fair even when she said she wouldn't, the years where I made her stay up WAYYYY past midnight for New Year's Eve...and then even cut up hundreds of little pieces of confetti because I needed to have a 'party.' I haven't even told you about how she helped me buy my books every semester during college - or how she helped me buy my couch for my first apartment. I feel blessed to have those memories, and to have had SO much time with her. Sunday would have been her 88th birthday, well, it STILL will be her birthday.

Kathryn Carol (Katie) and Carol - July 3, 2004 - Katie is almost 3 weeks old.

John William (Will) and Carol - August 12, 2007 - Will is 4 weeks old.

Ridiculous isn't it? Carol had super power strength!

In case any of you are interested, here is a link to Carol's obituary. Click on the link below and she should be on the right side of your screen.

http://www.martinfunerals.com/