Carol Walters peacefully passed away on August 16, 2021, in her rocking chair in San Diego, CA. She moved to Southern California in 2019 to be near her daughters, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter – and of course, the sunny weather. While she loved San Diego, she very much missed all of her friends from Bainbridge Island and surrounding areas.
Carol was born October 13, 1938, to Henry and Emily Johnson in Emery, South Dakota. Soon after birth, the family fled the “Dust Bowl” in South Dakota and settled on Bainbridge Island where she lived until 2019. Carol graduated from Bainbridge High School in 1956 (Homecoming Queen).
Carol was married to Jon Walters for 11 years, had three children, and raised them as a working single mother. She worked for the Bainbridge School District for 23 years serving as the principal’s secretary at Bainbridge High School and later in the Superintendent’s office. Many BHS students referred to Carol as their “second Mom”.
Carol is survived by her son, Jon Walters, Jr. (Pat) of Edmonds, WA, daughters Connie Robertson and Vicki Paulin (Jan), both of Coronado, CA, brother Dale Johnson of Thornton, CO; sister-in-law Patricia Johnson of Poulsbo, WA, four grandchildren (Maranda, Matthew, Mitchell, and Natalie), one great-granddaughter (Lillyana) and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents, Henry “Hank” Johnson in 1981, Emily (Sopoci) Johnson in 1958, and her brother, Gerald “Jerry” Johnson in 2014.
She loved gardening, dancing, traveling, cooking, cribbage, bingo, many long-lasting friendships, and most of all, her family – children, grandkids, and her great-granddaughter.
She gave so much without ever expecting anything in return; she taught by the example of how she lived and how she treated others. Found next to her rocking chair where she died was a note, handwritten by herself that read, “A Mother’s Heart is a Child’s Classroom”. Mom’s heart was huge, and we are so grateful to share a lifetime in her classroom; she will be truly missed but forever lives on in our hearts and memories.
At Carol’s request (and given the pandemic surge) there will be no services. Instead of flowers, she wanted you to donate to a worthy cause of your choice. She would also want you to more frequently tell those you love that you love them, to be more forgiving, to root for the underdog (unless they are playing Gonzaga), to laugh more, to randomly yell, “Bingo!”, to enjoy your family & friends every opportunity you can, and to live your life as an example for others – just as she did for us.
Carol’s family would appreciate you sharing a memory or a story; if you would be so inclined, please kindly email to CarolWaltersFamily@outlook.com. We thank you in advance.
