Carolyn passed away peacefully early Friday, May 10, 2019 in her apartment at Casey’s Pond Senior Living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Carolyn was born Mary Carolyn Doke to Ellen G. (Dunn) Doke and William McCall Doke of Gill, Colorado, east of Greeley. She graduated from Gill High School and attended college in Denver, then trained as an X-Ray Technician at Greeley Hospital.
Carolyn’s mantra was “There’s a bluebird on my window sill, there’s a rainbow in the sky. There’re happy thoughts my heart to fill, ne’r enough to make me cry”. She had an infectious smile and a happy spin on life. She was not trained as a Geologist but the beauty of rocks, and the mountains they formed, were endlessly fascinating to her, and over her many travels she made Ed lug home nearly half a ton of rocks. She did not train as a Naturalist, but all of nature inspired her, from mountains to forests to birds and flowers, Carolyn loved them all. And snow; in all the places she lived, there had to be snow.
Carolyn met Ed at a Christmas celebration of X-Ray Technician students in 1955 and were married May 5, 1956. The family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1958 after Ed graduated from CSU. Carolyn was deeply gratified to spend several years working as a teacher’s aid of mentally handicapped children. Carolyn lived in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois until retirement in 1994, waiting for their time to move back to Colorado. Carolyn and Ed moved to Glenwood Springs in June 1994 and loved it there before moving to Casey’s Pond Senior Living in Steamboat Springs in August 2017. They traveled extensively, visiting all fifty states, all seven continents and more than fifty foreign countries. Carolyn is survived by her husband of 63 years William Ed Odell, son Timothy Donn Odell in Fort Collins, son William Jeffrey (Annette) Odell in Greeley, daughter Beth Odell (Al) More in Eagle Vail, Colorado, and son, Patrick Alan (Tara) Odell in Lake Villa, Illinois. She is also survived by a brother, William F. Doke in Parker and a sister Patricia A. Wright in Chillicothe, Ohio and by five Grand Children and five Great Grandchildren.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her two parents, brother Frank Doke of Alpine, Texas, and daughter Terry Ellen Odell of Palisade, Colorado.
A memorial service will be held at The Heart of Steamboat United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at One PM. Flowers are welcome, or contributions can be made to United Methodist Women at Heart of Steamboat. Mary “Carolyn” Odell
