Carol’s life work was the care of others. As her five children moved out into the world, her focus shifted to new, adopted feline children, and to grandchildren who all knew her as Grandma Meow. Her yard became an unofficial sanctuary for myriad birds and other wildlife. Whoever came to her home was well cared for. She loved painting, making art for family and friends. She enjoyed the simplicity of a night by the fire with family and friends or a good book to read in a quiet house, and the complexity of the sciences of life, the universe, and everything. She was especially captivated by the mysteries of the stars and planets. From her quiet home on the edge of civilization, she dreamed of humanity inheriting the stars. She would have been more than just a little excited about one of her grandchildren employed in the aerospace industry, working toward getting humanity back to the moon and beyond.
Carol and her younger brother, Christopher Weber, shared a passion for science and science fiction. When Christopher lost his battle with cancer in 2019, Carol found solace in this quote from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn:
"We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened."
Carol and Chris were kindred spirits, united by their shared wisdom and their commitment to self-improvement. In every life event, Chris found a lesson to teach, and he shared his insights freely, inspiring those around him to be the best versions of themselves. As he once said:
"Happiness and contentment are not to be found out in the big troubled world. They can only be found by having the courage to take your spirit out for a stroll and have a long conversation with your soul as to who you are and who you want to be.”
Carol also lost her seven-year-old grandson, Gavin Luchini, in a house fire several years ago. She thought of him often over the years, and it is comforting to think that they are now all together in the heavens.
Carol believed that even in death, our loved ones are never truly gone. Their spirits continue to live on in our hearts and minds, and we will one day be reunited with them in the heavens. It is a reminder that we are all part of something much larger than ourselves, and that our lives are interconnected in ways that we may not always understand. She had a saying that captured this belief perfectly:
We’ll see you there, in the stars.
