Carol Corbet
June 9, 1952--May 7, 2003
Kathy Ward's Eulogy:
I'm Mike's sister and Brian's Aunt Kathy.
Thank you Mike and Brian for the honor of giving Carol's eulogy. I would like to take this time to remember what a terrific, loving person Carol was and how she touched our lives.
During a really hard time in my daughter Laura's life, Carol wrote this to her:
Dear Laura,
There once was a young man who was going on a long voyage, never to return home. As his ship was sailing away, all of his family and friends stood on the dock weeping. They stayed and watched until his ship was out of sight. Just as they lost sight of him in the horizon, his ship came into view of his destination. There on the dock were other family and friends smiling, waving, and waiting with open arms.
Love,
Aunt Carol
Just recently, a month before Laura's daughter Daphne was born, Laura received a generous gift certificate to Amazon.com with a note that said, "One Month to go, Love Aunt Carol". So, Mike, that may or may not show up on one of your credit card bills.
The other day Mike told the story of a furious Carol who demanded a check for over $300 to pay for some clothes. It seems she used Mike's rarely used Penney's charge card and assumed Mike paid off the balance before she used it again. He hadn't paid it because when he got the bill, he just thought it was a statement that said he didn't owe anything so he tossed it. After all, he knew he hadn't used that card. When Carol went to use it again, it was rejected for going over the limit. And she was with friends-and very embarrassed. So Carol confronted Mike and Mike said, "Let me get this straight, you're mad at me because I didn't pay a bill I didn't know I had because you didn't tell me about it?" She said "yes." That story made us laugh.
Carol had us in tears of laughter when she told us how Mike embarrassed her at the Acme. She was on crutches from a leg injury and after sitting at the bar with Mike for a while, Mike took her crutches to the cigarette machine. He was fumbling with his money and people where helping him and being extra nice to him because of his crutches. Later, he stood up without the crutches and announced, "I'm cured-it must have been the tacos!" People were very surprised until Mike and Carol got up to leave and Carol used the crutches.
And I remember playing games with Carol, many, many games. It was always great to have Carol on your side during Trivial Pursuit. Eileen remembers that she always knew the pink questions. Carol was really very smart and quick and witty and she made us laugh.
I remember sitting around with Carol and other family members and she was talking just a little unkindly about Mike --- she did do that from time to time. And it struck me that she was talking about being exasperated with Mike--and she was saying this to people she knew dearly loved Mike--his sisters. And then it struck me that she knew she could get away with it because she knew how very much we loved her too. And she made us laugh. And of course ten minutes later she would be telling us how Mike would buy her anything she needed-she just had to use his credit cards!
One time Carol and I were sitting on a beach and she started to cover her legs in sand--and then she started rubbing them. She told me she was just rubbing off the dead skin. For some reason I feel the need to share with all of you how Carol taught me about exfoliating--and made me laugh.
I doubt very much that I'm the only person that Carol ever said, "Bite Me" to. And, without exception, every time she said it to me, I laughed. And she knew I would laugh.
All of us here have wonderful stories about Carol--and almost all of them end with laughter.
One of the happiest times I saw Carol was at Brian and Becky's wedding in September. She was so proud and happy. Speaking as a person who has a lot of pictures of Carol with her eyes closed or a goofy look on her face, I must tell you that on that day, she took one of the very best pictures I ever saw of her. Her love for Brian, Devan and Becky was always evident--when she talked about them you could see her smile--even over the phone. And she was thrilled with Becky's pregnancy and the new little Ward on the way.
Carol's ship has docked at her destination and she is now in the arms of other family and friends.
Laura pictures it this way:
...and now I have a picture in my mind of Aunt Carol and Grandma sitting at a card table playing Scrabble and smoking, with Grandpa looking on and criticizing Grandma for putting down some weird word like bagel.
Carol is with her parents and her sister and a lot of people who also love her.
And all of us here miss her very, very much. We love you, Carol.
Return to the Memory Page Return to Kathy's Home Page